The Future Of Trunks: A New Threat
by TacitShinobi
Summary: Where Akira Toriyama left off...
1. Chapter 1: A Girl To Kill For

Chapter 1: A Girl To Kill For

"Some would say it has been a long time since the Androids were defeated; others would say that it hasn't been very long at all. Either way, it doesn't much matter to me anymore. Thanks to the hard work and efforts of my mother, time is no longer a boundary for me. When I first traveled through time, I tried to save a world from an android threat. I didn't know it at the time, but that wasn't my past. Somehow, my time machine jumped dimensions, and I found myself in a world that looked like mine, but wasn't. I can't say that I minded being able to see friends and family long since gone. But I didn't know the danger that I had breached. The first time I traveled to that dimension was to save a hero's life. I went there to save Goku from a deadly heart virus that would kill him in just less than three years. When I did this, it actually caused the heart virus to disable his abilities more slowly. This slowed down the date of Goku's appointed death. He survived due the medicine I delivered, but the fact still remained, something had changed the date. We couldn't worry about it then, we were still in a race against time. After giving Goku the vaccine for the virus, I returned to my "time" to see any effects of the change. There were none. The Androids in my dimension were still just as alive and strong as they were before I left. I returned again to what would be three years later in the other dimension to see what had happened that had not changed time. There was no change to my time, but we found one major change to Goku's. The Androids I had warned them about had become even more powerful than the ones in my timeline. Again, I wasn't sure what had caused this change, but we didn't have the time to ponder it. It began to make more sense when I finally returned to my timeline after we had defeated Cell. My original intentions were to travel through time. Specifically back to my past to change things that had happened. The loss of my friends and family, the rise of the Androids; I wanted to change that. Well, I did travel through time, but also through dimensions. Since then, I have devoted much of my attention to studying the effects of my time machine. And one day, maybe I will find a way to travel back to the past of my dimension. So far, my attempts have been unsuccessful. It has been two years since the Androids were defeated. Lucky for me, not many people know that I am responsible for the fall of the Androids. I don't like being in spotlights. I don't like having people rely on me for the preservation of the Earth when bad comes to worse. But they do anyway, because I'm all they have left… whether I want it or not."

"TRUNKS!" a familiar voice snapped over the intercom system of the Capsule Corp Mansion.

"What, Mom?" Trunks asked the intercom in his room.

"You've got a visitor!" Trunks' mother, Bulma announced, "and be quick about it, this one's important."

"Ah, great," Trunks said to himself. He wondered who it could be, but didn't dwell on it.

He closed his journal and got up from the desk in his room. His room was very large. As he was the richest man in the world, it wasn't surprising that he should have some of the most expensive items available arranged around his room. Of course, Trunks was much more organized than your average nineteen-year-old. Things were reasonably well kept and in order. He was, of course, President of the newly reconstructed Capsule Corporation. He had expected his mother to carry on the family business until she died, but Bulma had decided to pass her time just tinkering with old ideas and new toys in her private workshop. After all, she had built the time machine that way.

Before leaving his room, Trunks glanced out a nearby window to see who might be there to see him. No car.

"Oh well," Trunks thought to himself, "find out soon enough."

Trunks left his room and walked down the corridor to an elevator. Trunks thought about how funny the mansion seemed. There must have been over 200 rooms in it, and only four people lived there. After Gohan's death, Bulma had invited Chi Chi and her father to come live with Trunks and her. Trunks entered the elevator and announced "ground level" and the elevator began to take him there. When the doors opened again, Trunks left the elevator and headed for the living room next to the entrance hall. When he entered the room, two faces greeted him. The first was bore by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had medium-length, shining, dark brown hair. Below her streaming bangs, was a masterfully round, almost heart-shaped face and two bright blue eyes staring deeply into his own. Her mouth was clearly cut exposing a warm smile and pearl-colored, straight teeth. She was dressed in a tight, white top and jeans, and her figure was as nothing Trunks could compare to. Trunks remembered his mother would brag about her outset figure in her youth, but he knew she was in no compare to this young lady. Trunks stood transfixed for several moments before he realized that there was another face in the room, and it was apparently the other extreme from the young woman. Bulma looked at Trunks hard, as if silently telling Trunks of her irritation.

"Trunks! Do you have any idea how long you have kept this young woman waiting?" Bulma interrogated.

"Uhh, I, um, I–," Trunks stuttered.

"Spit it out!" Bulma roared, but Trunks just shrugged and continued smiling at the young woman before him.

The young lady cut in, "Trunks Brief? Pleasure to finally meet you." She extended her hand.

Ignoring her hand, Trunks was still frozen on her eyes. After a brief moment, Trunks was dragged back to consciousness by Bulma's elbow buried deeply into his side.

"A pleasure!" Trunks spat out, "For me, de–definitely a pleasure… Miss?"

Bulma smiled. It warmed her to see her son with the young lady, even if he was losing the conversation. "I'll get you something to drink," she told the young lady, and excused herself.

"My name is Shell," she explained to Trunks.

"Shell…" Trunks repeated, "how pretty, I mean that's a really pretty name, I mean…"

He was cut off by her giggle. He stood for a minute admiring her small figure. He didn't consider himself particularly tall, maybe of medium-height and medium-build and all-cut-muscle. But she looked quite miniature to him. Not that he didn't like it, she was just the right size, but to him she appeared almost too soft to touch without breaking her completely. And perhaps that added to her beauty and Trunks' fascination with her.

"You're pretty handsome yourself," she said interrupting his train of thought.

Trunks blushed vividly and murmured, "Oh, uh, thank you."

Bulma returned bearing a tray with fruit drinks. "Shell, dear, just make yourself at home, ok? Trunks doesn't understand social manners."

Shell smiled and took a seat on the couch. Trunks hesitated and then slowly sat down next to her.

Bulma, realizing she would have to save the day again, kept the conversation going. "So, Shell, what brings you to the neighborhood today?" she asked.

"Oh, well, Mrs. Brief, I'm currently looking for work and I tried to get an appointment but everything was booked. The office secretary told me that if I could catch you at home, it wouldn't hurt to just stop by. I don't usually do this, but she insisted that Mr. Brief was not much of one for formalities," Shell explained.

"And she was right," Bulma said answering for Trunks, "Trunks doesn't usually have the taste for the business world." She looked hard at Trunks. She knew that Trunks could actually conduct business deals very well, but she was trying to get Trunks to talk on his own.

Knowing that meant agree, Trunks acknowledged, "I like more of a home life." Then, feeling a terrible knotting pain in his stomach, Trunks excused himself from the room and left acknowledging that he'd be back.

"Is he ok?" Shell asked.

"Peachy," Bulma snapped, "He just doesn't know how to be sociable with females."

"Oh, I'm sorry I'll keep that in mind," Shell apologized.

"Oh don't be," Bulma retorted, "He's always been that way…"

"What happened?" Shell asked knowing by her tone that she meant more than she said.

Bulma hesitated for a moment. "I don't know if I'm the right person to tell you," she said, "Ask Trunks sometime about the details of it, but all I can tell you is that he is single-handedly responsible for the fall the Androids."

Shell stared for a moment, apparently processing everything that Bulma had just given her. Perhaps not much in words, but in action, that was a mouthful. "Tru–Trunks," she stuttered, "destroyed the Androids? By himself, with no army? On his… own?"

Bulma nodded with a proud look in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Trunks stood before the mirror in the bathroom. "What's wrong with me?" he thought to himself aloud. The thought that a girl had made him throw up was almost insulting. Gohan would never have been so weak, and his father would have laughed at him. The thought of Gohan looking at him now was burning in the whole of his chest. And what was worse, the thought of what his father would think! He could practically hear Vegeta's voice in his head.

"Silly, boy, have you no balls at all? Proud Saiyan warrior ran off by a mere girl? Face your fears, you worthless coward!"

Trunks thought for a moment. Well that was fighting, not talking to a girl. In that respect, the most beautiful girl Trunks had ever seen. Gohan had never taught him about anything of what to expect from a girl. And he couldn't imagine his father even addressing the matter. What would Goku do? Never mind. That was the surest way Trunks could think of to have a girl dump him. Chi Chi must have been crazy… but then, so must have been Goku.

"Well," Trunks thought out loud, "my mother seems to get along well with anyone, so maybe I should ask her… Oh, come on, Trunks! You're nineteen years old! This is childish. She probably doesn't even think you're cute in the first place! So just act normal."

Another moment of thought, he concurred the obvious – easier said than done. "Oh well," Trunks sighed, "Here goes nothing."

He left the bathroom and headed back to his impending doom-of-a-conversation. When he entered the room, Shell looked up to see Trunks' eyes meet her halfway. She smiled instinctively. Surprisingly, he smiled back.

"Sorry about that," Trunks announced with a new-found confidence, "business call."

Shell frowned, "If I'm interrupting, Mr. Brief, I'm very sorry I can come back another time…"

"No!" Trunks almost shouted, "I mean, uh, it wasn't important. Mother, could you get us all something more to drink?"

Bulma seemed eager that Trunks had collected himself a bit more and so she didn't hesitate to hurry to get the drinks. Hurry out that is, but not particularly back.

"Are you sure, Mr. Brief?" Shell began to ask again.

"It's Trunks," he answered and sat down on the couch next to her. He would have begun to ask about her job skills, but the same hold she had over him started to come back.

"Trunks?" she asked wondering if there was still sense in him, "Are you ok?"

Trunks came back to reality. "Uh, yes. Shell, I'm really sorry…"

"Well you look ill," she stated, "and your face is all pinkish. Perhaps it would do you good to get some fresh air?"

"Yeah, can we go out?" Trunks asked and then, "Outside! I mean. Can we go outside?"

She giggled for a moment. "Okay."

Trunks let Bulma know they would be outside and then they walked into the yard. Unfortunately, living in the city, Capsule Corp Mansion didn't have much yard space. It did have much larger than most, but nothing spectacular.

"Trunks," Shell asked, "could we go for a walk? Maybe a short one through the city?"

Trunks hesitated and then agreed. As he walked toward her to get to the sidewalk, she held onto his arm and walked with him, arm in arm. Trunks' first thought was that his stomach just dropped lower than when Cell gut-punched him. But then, at the same time his heart was on fire and racing.

"What's going on?!?" Trunks screamed inside his head.

As they walked, the shock of having a beautiful woman holding onto his arm began to subside and Trunks began to be able to fully answer some of Shell's questions without stuttering or near tripping to get the words out. They talked about anything that came to mind as they walked. Well, Shell talked the majority of the time, but eventually Trunks got into the conversation. Soon enough, they came to a park.

As they walked, Trunks asked, "So where are you and your family originally from?"

Shell hesitated, the first time all evening, "We were from here."

"Were?" Trunks asked blindly.

"My mother and father were killed in the Android Massacres," she explained, "and I was an orphan that survived."

"I–I'm sorry," Trunks apologized.

"It's not your fault," she answered, "why do you apologize?"

"Because I was too late," he responded under his breath.

"You could not have known, and did the best you could, Trunks. You destroyed them and that's more than anyone can ask of you," she complimented.

"How do you–?" Trunks tried to ask.

"Your mother told me," she cut in.

Trunks stood for a moment. "She told you?"

"Just that you destroyed the Androids," Shell explained, "She told me to ask you about the rest of your adventure."

"It wasn't an adventure…" Trunks faded, "It was a nightmare."

"I'm sorry Trunks; I didn't mean to upset you. I promise I won't say anything else about it," she apologized.

"You don't need to be sorry," Trunks muttered, "you're not at fault."

They stood in silence for a moment in the park, watching the sun fade into the horizon. Its bright orange glow penetrated the city and even into the trees of the park.

"I guess this isn't your idea of a job interview is it, Trunks?" Shell asked.

Trunks turned away from the sunset, and towards Shell. "You're definitely not ordinary," Trunks said. "I don't know if we could ever find another potential employee like you."

Shell smiled, and then moved closer to Trunks urging him to hold her. He did, and then she looked up at him. "So you'll give me a call if I'm hired?" she asked softly.

"Tomorrow," Trunks assured, "But can I walk you home, the city can be dangerous at night for a beautiful young lady walking home."

"Would you?" she asked as he coupled her arm and walked with her.

They didn't walk long and had different talks about what type of work she was interested in and the different studies she had taken. Trunks found out a lot about her and was surprised at how much he enjoyed being with her and how well he got along with her. He learned that Shell took advanced schooling at a younger age and managed to pass with flying colors. She had a brilliant mind and a stout heart. To Trunks, she seemed to believe strongly in her opinions, but at the same time she had an open mind to discussion. For the most part Trunks just listened. He liked just listening to her. He loved the sound her voice made, and the way she looked at things. He found it particularly fascinating that they shared some of the same hobbies and passions. She, too, enjoyed the science field and home lifestyles that Trunks held dear. By far not ready to end the walk home, they finally arrived at her home. Surprisingly not far from the Capsule Corp Mansion, it occurred to Trunks that she had taken the long way around.

"Trunks," Shell said as she turned to face him, "thank you for the afternoon. It was the best time I've had in a long time."

"You made it great," Trunks said blushing.

She gave a slight laugh. "Are you always this sweet to the ladies?" she asked.

Trunks blushed heavier and then looked into her eyes again. A reflect–?

Staring back, she whispered, "Trunks, I–AAH!"

She screamed while looking over his shoulder, but Trunks had already seen it. Three men had come at them, one carrying a knife, one unarmed, and one carrying a gun. The man with no weapon came at Trunks from behind and tried to hold him, but Trunks had seen it coming and countered. Trunks twisted the man's wrist, and then flipped the man over his hip and into the air. Trunks threw him a good twenty feet away. The man with the knife had come at Trunks from the side. As the man stabbed, Trunks grabbed the man's hand and twisted him, throwing the knife from his hand, down the street, and into a brick wall. As for the man, after the knife left his hand, the helpless man continued to be drug in a vertical circle by Trunks. After spinning the man by his arm several times, Trunks roundhouse kicked the man and he flew across the street into a tree. While Trunks was fighting, Shell had backed up to stay out of the way. The man with the gun had grabbed her from behind just as Trunks had finished with the other two. Using Shell as a hostage, the man held his gun to her head and peeked around her head to face Trunks.

"What the–?" the man asked in shock, "Where the hell'd he go?" He paused for a moment looking down the street. Nothing. "Well, sweetheart," he said to Shell, "looks like your boyfriend dumped you and ran off scared. Must suck for you to know your man's a pussy!" He started to laugh hysterically at himself, "Never knew you had more balls than your man did you, lady?"

Shell began to become frantic with the fear that Trunks had perhaps really left her to die out in front of her own apartment. Tears started to swell in her eyes.

"If you want to live to see the next minute, I suggest you let her go and run as fast as you can away from here and hope to God that I don't feel like chasing you," Trunks answered in the darkness.

Becoming frantic, the man began looking all around the street trying to figure out where Trunks' voice had come from. "Now you listen to me, kid. I'm calling the shots here, and I've got your bitch. So show yourself nice and slowly before I cap her ass!"

"What did you call her?" Trunks whispered in the darkness.

"You heard me you little shit, so get out here now!" the man screamed into the darkness.

A hand came from above and grabbed the man's hand away from Shell's head.

"Here I am, but you should have shot yourself in the head before you called her that," Trunks threatened from above. He had been flying upside-down above the man the whole time.

Shell managed to break free from the man's frightened grip and moved away. Looking up at Trunks, the man began to panic and rapid fired his pistol in hopes of hitting Trunks. But to no avail. Trunks' grip on the man's hand was not something easily broken. The man fired several rounds into the air next to Trunks until Trunks applied a mild amount of pressure to the man's hand. Trunks and the man listened as the bones in his hand began to crack and crush under the immense force of Trunks' grip. The man shrieked in pain as he felt all the bones in his hand shatter and stared into Trunks' angry gaze upon the man's eyes as he did it. As soon as Trunks felt satisfied with the man's hand, while still holding it, he swung his feet down, upper cutting the man in the lower jaw with his right boot. Trunks released the man's hand allowing the momentum from the kick to knock the man back onto the sidewalk, staring up at Trunks as he landed a back flip from the upside-down kick. Trunks stood up slowly from his bowed position. With the use of the slightest bit of energy, Trunks manipulated the forces of gravity long enough to pick the man up and put him on his feet. The man stood, disheveled, bleeding from the mouth from the impact of Trunks' kick, holding his sickly bent hand, dirty and aching. Trunks grabbed the man by the throat and picked him up off the ground with his one hand.

"Is that your car?" Trunks asked Shell.

"What?" Shell replied curiously, "Well, no… but, Trunks what are you–?"

With that, Trunks slammed the man into the side of the car causing the car to cave in from impact, and the man to bleed profusely from the sharp metal in his back. The man spat up blood, begging Trunks to stop and let him go. Shell watched from ten feet away as Trunks held the man in the crater-of-a-car door, becoming more afraid, but not of the man who attacked them. To her this was a new side of Trunks she couldn't have imagined him having, ever. He seemed, to her, to almost glow in the darkness of that night as he held the man to that car. At last she couldn't take it anymore and ran to Trunks grabbing his free arm.

"Trunks!" Shell screamed, "Let him go! There's no need for you to hold him like this, just let him go! He's not worth this!" Looking at him closer, she began to notice that his eyes seemed to have faded into a white color, like the pupil disappeared. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her, because after she had blinked, she saw his eyes and his collection return to him. His odd glow seemed to subside, his muscles relaxed, and he dropped the man and backed away immediately.

"Trunks," Shell said trying to call Trunks' attention back to her, "Trunks, are you ok?"

Trunks stood for a moment transfixed on the man. He was dying.

"Trunks!" Shell shouted.

Then Trunks returned his attention to her. "Shell, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," Trunks started, "I–I need to go. I'm really sorry about all this, but I'll have to explain later. Please believe me, please." He stood for a moment wondering of her decision.

Shell thought for a second, then, "Go, Trunks, go home, and you can tell me tomorrow…" Then she ran to him and held him, "And please promise me you'll be ok, Trunks, please."

"I'm really sorry for all this, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, goodnight Shell," Trunks said as he ran down the street and rounded the corner to fly off back to Capsule Corp Mansion.

People began to wander out into the street and look on at Shell standing alone on the street.

Shell looked up and shouted, "Somebody call an ambulance!"

That night, she had to explain to the police what happened without incriminating Trunks, and then try to get some sleep without the whole incident bothering her. She didn't sleep that night.


	2. Chapter 2: A Past Remembered

Chapter 2: A Past Remembered

The next morning, Shell found herself walking towards the Capsule Corp Mansion. A reason for why she would bother after the incident last night was beyond her, but she was hoping to think of a decent reason on her walk. A reason never came, but she reached the mansion all the same. Trunks met her at the door and she walked in without saying a word. He led her to the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Would you like a seat?" Trunks asked.

Shell silently sat down next to him.

"Can I get you anything–?" Trunks began.

"No," she spat, "I mean, no, thank you."

There was a moment of silence.

"Look, Shell," Trunks began, "There's something I need to tell y–."

"Yes," she cut in, "Trunks, there is a lot you need to tell me."

Another silence. Trunks looked up into her eyes. At first she would not look at him, but then she began to stare into his eyes painfully. He knew then that she had a fear of him, and the thought burned in him. He sat for a second trying to put into words what he wanted to say.

"Trunks!" Bulma broke the silence. "Where did you g–, oh... Never mind," she said leaving the room as quickly as she had entered.

Trunks looked back at Shell. "About last night," he began, "I didn't mean to–."

"He's in intensive care," Shell interrupted, "He'll live, but barely."

Trunks frowned and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Well, Trunks," she began again, "you sure know how to show a lady a good time. Three guys attacked you; you give one a concussion, give another three broken ribs and a fractured wrist, and you give the last one a crushed hand that he'll never use again and damn near killed him. He had gone into cardiac arrest when the paramedics arrived. With that and a collapsed lung, he's lucky to be alive. I like a man that can stand up for his girl as well as the next woman, but that was a bit of an over-kill, don't you think?" Trunks made a notion to explain, but was again cut off. "Trunks, where did you learn to do that? No one can do that. You were flying and glowing and, hell, you put the man through a car! What are you?"

Trunks continued to stare at the floor. After a second, Trunks looked up from the floor, but not at Shell.

"Shell," Trunks muttered, "this may be hard for you to take... or you may just say I'm crazy, leave, and call the police... but hopefully you'll believe me."

"I'm listening," she answered.

"Shell, long ago... this sounds so stupid, you're never going to believe me!" Trunks said angrily. He sat for a moment angry with himself.

Shell watched Trunks for a moment and began to feel somewhat sorry for him. She didn't know what it was that was so hard for him to tell her, yesterday he could have told her anything, but this was... this was different. Shell reached to take Trunks' hand. As she did he looked up at her with a hint of tears swelling. "Hey," she reassured him, "its ok, Trunks. I'm here. I'm going to listen. And I'm going to believe you. Because I don't believe you would lie to me. Ok?"

Trunks sniffled, slowly succeeding to fight back tears.

"Shell, I'm not fully human..." Trunks began, "I'm only half. The other half is from my father. He was, well, an alien to this world known as a Saiyan. Saiyans once lived on a planet not far from this one. My father was a prince. A prince of the Saiyan race. But his father and his planet were destroyed. I don't know all the details because... well, because I'm the only one left. All I do know is that after the planet was destroyed there were two survivors, my father and a great hero named, Goku. Many years ago, just before the Androids attacked, Goku was killed by a heart virus. Then when the Androids came, anyone who might have stood against them was crushed. My father was murdered at the hands of the Androids before I was old enough to know him. I grew up learning to fight. I started training as early as I could so that one day I could make it where bad things never happened to good people. My best friend, Gohan, taught me to fight. He and my mother taught me about what was supposed to be right, the way things were supposed to be. And it made my hatred for the Androids grow even more. Then one day, they murdered Gohan. The only friend in the world I had left and they took him away as though he were worth nothing more than a pile of trash. After that, I learned a trick that was a secret weapon that aided only the Saiyan race. I learned how to become a Super Saiyan. But even with that power, I still wasn't enough to destroy them. I nearly was died in the process of finding that out. My mother seemed convinced that I should take the time machine she built into the past and try to keep Goku alive long enough to make a difference. I did what I was supposed to, but for some reason the Androids here were still around. I breached a dimension, not our time. While I was in the past, I learned new tricks and advanced my fighting skills even further. When I returned, it had only been one day that I was gone, but for me it had been years. When I returned, destroying the Androids was as simple as taking out the garbage. They had killed hundreds of thousands without question, without a second thought. And I gave them the same end. Every enemy I have ever faced has been powered by some cybernetic brain chip that doesn't know why it's doing what it does; it just does it. When I fought those men last night, it felt no different. Just three more mindless evils with no reason for what they were doing, only with the ability to make me angry. When he called you the word he called you, my mind seemed to snap on end. And then it came back to me... that feeling. Something you care for so dear is suddenly held in regards by someone as nothing. It burns with rage; all you can see is white. You try to control it but then the more you wait the stronger it becomes. And then suddenly it breaks loose, and you can't control it anymore. It hurts..."

Shell stared for a moment suddenly realizing how much she meant to him. Then she edged closer to him and held him, as he did her. They sat there for several moments clinging to what seemed to be the only hope left in the world – each other. After sitting in silence for a moment, Shell whispered in Trunks' ear, "Thank you for telling me the truth."

Trunks whispered back, "Thank you for believing me."

Separating, but still holding hands, Shell asked, "What was the secret of your race about? The Super Saiya-something?"

"A Super Saiyan," Trunks finished for her.

"Yes, that," Shell acknowledged.

"A Super Saiyan is a power-up move used by a Saiyan in battle," Trunks explained. "It comes from the grave creation of a need; generally, an emotional need. The first time I became a Super Saiyan was from Gohan's death. Losing my only friend to a pair of murderers plunged me into a hole so deep, the only feeling I had was pain. The pain of loss. It sent me into a blind rage, and in it, I found the secret to unlocking the power of the Super Saiyan. The power of a Super Saiyan is unbelievable. Using the strength gained from it, you can literally move mountains. Since Saiyans were warriors by heritage, the advantages of Super Saiyanism speak for themselves. If your power outmatches your enemy fifty-to-one, then you have an unprecedented advantage. Like all great techniques, it has its weakness. In this case two, control and pain. With time, it becomes gradually easier and easier to become a Super Saiyan. But to become one, you still are forced to remember the event that made you change in the first place. For me, that's reliving Gohan's death every time. And in the process, sometimes you lose your control, either your rage gets the best of you and you begin fighting wildly, or the power clouds your judgment and you become too overconfident. Both have happened to me, and I did not enjoy either. They are both annoying experiences because they show you your greatest strength overcome by your greatest weakness. Since the Androids were destroyed, I continued my training, but only in normal form. Super Saiyan is a power that is often more trouble than it is worth. I do not enjoy watching Gohan die over and over again in my mind. I do not want to remember it again, and because of that, it has been two years since I have had to use that power."

"Then, last night, you were becoming a Super Saiyan?" Shell asked.

"No," Trunks insisted, "When he called you that it just made me very angry."

"Why did you begin to glow?" she asked.

"That was my aura," Trunks informed her, "We all have one, it's just that if you have an extremely high fighting power level, and you begin to expel power, your aura becomes visible. Here I'll show you."

"No!" Shell said warily, "I don't want you to get angry, Trunks."

Trunks gave a slight laugh and said, "No, Shell, I'm not going to get mad, you can increase your fighting power without getting angry, I'll show you." He stood up and brought her up by her hand to her feet. "I want you to walk a few feet away with your back turned to me, ok?" he asked. She agreed and followed his lead. Suppressing his energy level, Trunks said, "Now, Shell, I want you to pretend that I'm not in the room. As I increase my energy level, my aura will spread out. It won't be a feeling like someone pushing your arm, but when my aura touches yours you'll be able to feel it, ok?" She agreed and began to wait. Trunks slowly began increasing his power level until it was strong enough, he was sure she could feel it. Slowly she turned around, and looked at Trunks. "The same feeling you get when you feel someone behind or following you?" he asked. She nodded, with her mouth dropped open.

"Exactly..." she forced out, almost silently.

"Shell," Trunks said, stepping closer to her, "I'm very sorry that I didn't tell you this yesterday. I enjoyed more than you may ever know walking you home, well, except for the last bit of it, and I had hoped so much yesterday that I could take you out sometime later. But then after last night, I prayed that you would at least let me explain here today, let alone allow me to take you out sometime. Thank you, Shell for listening to me today and for believing me. I'll... I'll understand if you don't want to see me again, but I just want to tell you... thank you."

"C–Could I sleep on the thought?" Shell asked with a smile, "I didn't get much sleep last night."

Trunks laughed, "Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night either. Can I take you home?"

"You don't hold the best track record for that, Trunks," she joked.

"Yeah, well," Trunks thought a minute, "Is there a rooftop entrance to your apartment?"

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"Since I haven't had much luck with the streets, I thought I might try a different approach," Trunks suggested.

"Sounds fair enough," Shell agreed, "unless you drop me..." They laughed.

Trunks led her to the rooftop of Capsule Corp Mansion and flew her home under the afternoon sky. Once there, Trunks landed on the roof and set Shell on her feet. They told each other goodnight and Shell began to head for the rooftop door of her apartment. Trunks decided to make sure she made it safely into her house this time. As she opened the door, she turned to face Trunks again.

"Oh, and Trunks," she said as she turned.

"Yes?" Trunks asked quietly.

"Did I ever get that job?" she asked.

"What were you applying for?" Trunks replied.

"Anything in the engineering and development department, maybe?" she suggested.

"You're hired," Trunks answered.

Shell gave a slight laugh. "And when do I start to work?" she asked.

"Could I get back to you on that?" Trunks inquired, "Perhaps tomorrow for lunch?"

Shell smiled and winked from the door. "I'd love to," she told him. "Call me?"

"I will," Trunks assured, "Goodnight, Shell."

"Goodnight, Trunks," she replied, "See you tomorrow, and be careful on your way home, ok?"

Trunks nodded as she went inside. A smile crept across his face as he turned, overjoyed, and flew off towards home.


	3. Chapter 3: Super Saiyan 2?

Chapter 3: Super Saiyan 2?

Roughly three hundred, fifty miles northeast of West City, the rocky cliffs stood silent in the moonlight... well, almost. The sands covering the floor of the cliff sides flowed swiftly with the wind. The moonlight was bright enough that the entirety of the rocky desert was plainly visible almost to the horizon. The gentle breeze tossing sand around created a subtle whistling sound. The stars were out that night; plainly visible as tiny flashlights in an innumerable distance. One star in particular shown out above the others... then it began to move. This star wasn't a star at all. Instead of curving inward towards the earth or flying in, like you always see in movies, it fell. It fell a straight and unwavering path... and then, no, towards the desert. It was coming in, fast. The atmosphere set the object ablaze in red and orange trails of light as it plummeted. The object, whatever it was, was falling straight into the desert floor. As the massive fireball neared the sandy floor of the desert, the object straightened. Even through fire and dust, the lengthy, plane-style shape of the object could be made out. In an instant, the silence of the desert was broken by, first, an immense pressure wave that created winds traveling away from the epicenter at massive speeds and blew dust into the air as high as five hundred feet, and then by a deafening explosion of impact between two solid objects that shook earth, rock, and sky. The impact was clearly visible on the horizon and the explosion of sound could be heard hundreds of miles away.

---

Meanwhile, at home in West City, hundreds of citizens heard, and even felt the shock that rumbled through the city. Shell awoke from her sleep to look out the window. It was about two in the morning and she didn't particularly care at the moment so she went back to sleep. Not far away, another body was awakened by the shock. Trunks' eyes opened quickly. He didn't sleep very well, anyway. It had been long since that he had gotten a good night's sleep. With Shell to occupy his mind, it had been easier for him to sleep lately, though. And Bulma must have approved, because she insisted that it had given him a better attitude around the house. Trunks lay awake staring at the ceiling. Because Trunks had become somewhat paranoid, he made an effort to always be ready for anything, so he generally slept mostly clothed. After a moment, he decided to get himself a glass of orange juice and take a look outside. Trunks went to the kitchen and briskly got his orange juice and then took the elevator to the roof of the mansion. Save the skyscrapers, the Capsule Corp Mansion was just about the tallest building in the city. As Trunks got to the rooftop and looked out across the horizon, he saw nothing but the moon and stars and waves of ocean to the West. Trunks turned to look northward. Off to the right, a small dust cloud rose off the far-horizon and into the air. Trunks looked to the sky to see if perhaps it was a meteor shower. Nothing. Trunks thought to himself, puzzled. He decided to worry about it in the morning and returned to bed.

---

Back in the desert the dust cloud began to subside. In the dust, it was still impossible to make anything out. And, then, as the dust cloud vanished, so had the object that fell from the stars. There was no crater, no mark upon the earth that gave evidence that anything had even impacted. Nothing but a lump of sand approximately five feet high. The sound of mechanical gears broke the silence, and the lump of sand began to vibrate. As sand began to fall from the mound, an odd form of metal began to shine through in the moonlight. The sand cleared away and revealed a white dome with a vertically sliding door, marked by a cynically drawn "M." The doors parted, and two shadows began to step forward. There were two initially: one very short, practically two feet in height; and one abruptly tall, perhaps almost seven-and-a-half feet tall.

"So this is Earth?" the shorter one asked in a bug-like voice.

"Shall I gather the troops to search for it, Master?" the taller figure asked in a very deep voice.

"Yes," the other responded, "Yes, find it and bring it here. And find me some natives of this planet. I am eager to begin."

"Yes, my master," the deep voice complied.

---

The next morning, Trunks woke up and went through his morning habit of getting up. When finished, Trunks went to the kitchen for breakfast. Bulma was already up and moving, but Chi Chi was the one cooking. Since losing Gohan, Chi Chi had somewhat taken in Trunks as one of her own. It seemed funny to Trunks, because he considered all the lecturing he got now with two mothers. Chi Chi's father had already taken his claimed seat at the table and was waiting on breakfast to be served. His mother, too, was seated at the table but with a slightly different anticipation. She seemed to be reading over some graphs and notes. Trunks said good morning to everyone and sat down next to his mother.

"What's that, Mom?" Trunks asked.

Bulma hesitated, still reading over the pages in front of her, but then slowly answered, "Seismograph readings from last night's quake."

"I heard and felt that last night," Chi Chi acknowledged, "but it didn't sound much like an earthquake, it sounded like an explosion or meteor or something."

"Indeed it wasn't," Bulma agreed.

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, "How do you know?"

"The seismograph readings," his mother explained, "they don't show any internal disturbances on the Earth last night. Whatever it was came from above. It impacted the Earth."

Silence indulged the room, as Bulma, Chi Chi, and her father all exchanged looks. There was a pause, and Trunks had a bad feeling about it. He had heard stories that his mother and Chi Chi would tell him about everytime something fell from the sky, Goku and Vegeta would have to go and fight it. He knew where this conversation was going.

"Trunks, dear," Chi Chi said breaking the silence, "Why don't you stay in today? We could find something here to do."

"Well, I told Shell we..." Trunks objected.

"Oh, well, she can come here with us," Chi Chi cut in.

"But–," Trunks attempted.

"No, Trunks," Bulma decided, "Chi Chi is right. You are the strongest person on this planet. Until we are sure that nothing dangerous happened out in that desert, you do not need to go around broadcasting your power level. Besides, you are all we have left, and we're not losing you too, understand?"

"I can suppress my power level, Mom, and you're not going to lose me! I can take care of myself you know," Trunks said in defense.

"So could Gohan, Trunks," Bulma said softly.

Trunks hated it when his mother brought up Gohan. He knew it was his greatest weakness and so did she.

"Yes, ma'am," Trunks said admitting defeat.

He called Shell and explained the situation, and she understood which surprised Trunks. He worried from the time he let his mother have her way that Shell would think less of him for it. Surprisingly, she seemed to have a great amount of respect for Trunks for letting his mother have the peace of mind that he was ok. Trunks imagined it was probably the fact that she had grown up as an orphan that she seemed happy to know that Trunks obeyed his parents. Of course in the back of his mind was his father's view as well.

"Stupid child," Vegeta would say in Trunks' mind, "when will you grow up and stop depending on you mother for milk? Honestly, you fool, it's no wonder you can't fight, you let you mother do that for you!"

Trunks wondered if his father would really have been that harsh on him. Of course, his father had married her, and he died so he had a lot of room to talk.

The rest of the week followed much of the same pattern. Shell would walk over to the mansion in the morning and Trunks would take her home at night. He especially enjoyed the flight to her house at night because it was the only time Trunks got to leave the house, and he got to spend his only time window with Shell. Through the week, he found himself moving closer and closer to Shell, and her to him. That was the part that thrilled Trunks the most. Not so much that he cared about her greatly as the fact that she cared about him just as much. At the end of the week, Bulma had promised to let him take Shell to the fair on Saturday. Being out of house arrest would be great, but knowing that he would get to spend it with her was even greater. The only thing that had bothered him that week was that every night when he would fly back to the mansion, he could sense a strange life force. It didn't feel completely like a power level, but kind of like a mix between a power level and... evil. Each night it became gradually stronger and Trunks knew it was significant, but he couldn't let it ruin his next day with Shell. Nothing could ruin that day, and telling his mother about a strange life force resonating from the desert was the surest way he could think of to screw it up.

That night, before his big day in the morning, Trunks lay awake in his bed. For whatever reason he began to think of Gohan. He thought of the times he and Gohan had spent together and the things Gohan had taught him. Everything Trunks had ever told Gohan, he had understood. He was Trunks' best friend, they were close. Then it occurred to Trunks. Shell and he were closer.

Trunks went to sleep with that thought in mind. As he slept, he began to dream. In his dream, he saw Shell. He went to her and they stood in a field of flowers. In the distance was a small river that began with a waterfall out of the rocks. In the opposite distance, mountains lined the horizon. It was sunset, and Shell nudged herself close to Trunks. It was the happiest thought he could have ever thought of. As the sun went down, the flowers began to fade. The ground became cracked and water-deprived. The clouds overtook the moon and the waterfall and river dried up. A fog rose from the ground and restricted his vision to about twenty feet around him. He turned around, still holding Shell. The fog gathered into a mist in front of Shell and himself, and two darkened figures walked towards them. Shell appeared frightened and squeezed Trunks. Out of the foggy mist, stepped Androids 17 and 18. In their hands, they carried the heads of Gohan, Vegeta, and Shell's mother and father. Blood dripped slowly from each of the four heads, sinking into the dry ground. Mortified, Trunks stood with his eyes and mouth wide open. Shell screamed and grabbed Trunks as she cried. Trunks stared into the eyes of the four heads, all bearing about the same look that Trunks did now. As he continued to stare, the four craniums set fire and disintegrated, their ashes falling to the bloodstained, dry earth. At that moment, 17 lurched forward kicking Trunks away and clasping onto Shell. Before Trunks hit the ground, he found himself being held from behind by 18. He pulled hard, as hard as he could, but she held tight. He could hear 18 laughing in his ear as he watched 17 laugh, holding Shell in front of him.

"We're sorry we missed you," 17 stated cynically, "You were supposed to die that day with you parents..."

"That's ok though," 18 finished, "Better late than never."

Shell screamed intensely as 17 thrust his hand through her chest, and it came out the front. 17 held his hand through her chest for a moment displaying his grip on her heart. Trunks stood staring at her eyes as she began to fade from life. 17 and 18 laughed as Trunks stood staring at Shell. Her eyes began to dilate as the energy that was once there faded. Her heart stopped beating, and the blood flowing from her chest cavity flooded the ground. She began to turn pale white, and then she went limp. Trunks snapped.

Trunks awoke from his dream screaming hysterically. All of Capsule Corp Mansion shook, and the surrounding neighborhoods could certainly feel it. The space around the mansion became intensely white with glow, and the window that marked Trunks' room shown bright gold. His window shattered. The objects in his room pounded against the opposite wall. His covers flared up around him and the loose ones stuck to the ceiling. His alarm clock shattered. Electricity began to pulsate around the room. When Trunks had awoken, he had sat up in bed screaming, but any hope he had of suppressing his power level was gone. Bulma bolted through the door with Chi Chi and her father looking on. Trunks' scream was almost deafening. Bulma didn't know exactly what she could do to calm Trunks down, but anything was worth trying.

"TRUNKS!" Bulma screamed, "Trunks! You're having a nightmare! Trunks! Look at me, honey!" She reached out to grab Trunks' hand. He held hers, and the force of his grip hurt her very much, but she couldn't let Trunks get out of control. She sat for a few moments letting Trunks hold her hand. She admitted it hurt like hell, but held on anyway. After another moment, Trunks quit yelling. He let go of her hand, and began to calm down. The bed sheets fell from the ceiling and the objects that were not permanently implanted in the walls fell down. Trunks was still straining hard, but his pupils returned, and his aura shrank back down to just around his body as did the electricity. Trunks began to stop straining, but his Super Saiyan body didn't disappear.

"Trunks, honey, are you ok?" Bulma asked.

"I, I'm fine, Mom," Trunks answered hoarsely, "I had a nightmare."

Bulma touched her son's arm to comfort him, but found that it felt like touching steel lined with flesh. "Wh, What is this, Son?" she asked, "I've never seen anyone do this."

"Mom, when I was in the past, Gohan did this as an eleven-year-old boy," Trunks answered, "It's called a Super Saiyan 2; it's just an upgraded version of Super Saiyan."

"Trunks, dear," Bulma began, "what was it? In your dream? You haven't turned into one in, well, years..."

Trunks hesitated calming his body back to its normal form, "Nothing, Mom, it was just a bad dream that's all. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Bulma smiled. "It's okay, Trunks," she said, "Just get some sleep tonight; you're gonna need your sleep for your big day tomorrow."

Trunks smiled, he hadn't screwed up his chance yet. "Okay, Mom," Trunks replied happily, "Goodnight."

That night, the neighbors may have brushed it off as another freak earthquake, but Shell had felt that power before. Additionally, in the desert, someone else had a use for that power.


	4. Chapter 4: M For Morons

Chapter 4: "M" For "Morons"

It was a big day for Trunks. He was most anxious to see Shell and take her to the fair. He was surprised that his mother hadn't made him clean his room before he left, but when she told him it would be waiting on him when he got back, he felt better knowing she wasn't sick. He left the mansion and walked to Shell's apartment building. It was a busy morning. Citizens of all ages were out doing all sorts of things. Most of the younger generations were moving in the direction of the fair, and most of the older ones were out doing their morning routines for a Saturday. Trunks was preoccupied looking on at the citizens moving about that morning to the extent that he bumped into two passing teenagers somewhat younger than himself. 

"Oh, sorry," Trunks apologized as he cut between the two.

The two said nothing as he passed, and he stood looking on as they walked away; perhaps expecting an acknowledgement. Nothing. The only assurance Trunks had that they knew he existed was when the teen on the right turned to cast him a hard look. On his forehead the kid had a most unusual tattoo. A cynically drawn "M" was marked across his brow. The kid turned his gaze from Trunks and resumed to march away silently.

"No problem, I'm sure," Trunks answered to himself. "Interesting fashion statement," Trunks thought as he turned around to walk away.

Trunks continued on his short journey until he arrived at Shell's apartment building. As he neared the steps to the building, Shell emerged from the door. When she turned to see him, a giant smile was fixed upon her face.

"Trunks!" she shouted as she ran to him. She jumped up on him and gave him a huge hug. "Oh, Trunks, why did you do this?" she asked.

Trunks picked her up off him and was silent for a moment. "Did what?" he asked confused.

She took out an envelope and showed Trunks. "It came in the mail yesterday," she explained.

Trunks smiled. It was her paycheck. "Oh that," he started, "Well, I told you that you were hired, and so that's your paycheck."

"But I haven't worked a day yet, Trunks," Shell said.

"And I haven't told you when to come in yet," Trunks replied casually. "So in the mean time, you're waiting for a call," Trunks explained.

"Why are you being so good to me?" she asked.

"Because you are to me," Trunks answered quietly.

She stood for a minute looking at Trunks' eyes, and then she went to hug him. He held her and hugged back. As they stood holding each other in their arms, there was a small burning sensation that pulsated through their chests. It was an odd feeling Trunks thought, and Shell too. It was a sudden small feeling in the depth of their chests that slowly began resonating throughout their bodies. Trunks knew that Shell would have still spent her time with him even if he was dirt poor, and Shell knew that Trunks would have given her anything that he could, even if he had nothing. It wasn't about the money. They had spent an entire week together and hadn't disagreed on much of anything. They both enjoyed the time they had together and somewhat craved more. It was almost like an addiction. They both stood, holding one another, and thinking about the past week. It had been wonderful. Trunks hadn't thought about Gohan any when she was around, and Shell hadn't thought of her parents in Trunks' company. Trunks slightly had the urge to kiss her, but didn't want to embarrass himself or drive her away. Not that he would have known it, but in her heart, Shell felt the same urge as Trunks but didn't want him to think less of her. With that urge in mind, Trunks suddenly felt an uneasy sickness feeling about him again. Slowly, they released one another but still stood close.

"Trunks," Shell said softly, "let's go to the fair."

Trunks smiled, took her hand, and they walked away together. They walked onward towards the fair, and the nearer they became, the more concentrated the crowds became; crowds of mostly young people, and some middle-aged people with children. A few people off in the back of the crowds began to catch Trunks' attention. More teenagers, rather rough-looking but different from the two earlier that morning, had "M's" on their foreheads. Trunks stopped walking with Shell to watch the people at the back of the crowd. They watched back, rather intently; like they were stalking.

"Trunks?" Shell asked. "What's wrong? Trunks?"

Trunks turned his attention back to her. "Nothing," he said unsurely, "Nothing's wrong." He glanced back up at them and then back at her. Her piercing, blue eyes didn't look fooled.

Shell glanced over to the direction Trunks had looked. "Punks," she insulted, "They're just punks. Probably jealous cause you've got me, Trunks. Pity, cause I'm certainly not jealous of her," she ended referring to the girl with them.

"I've got–?" Trunks began to ask.

"Look at them," she interrupted, "If they'd take a bath and put on some decent clothes and wipe that stupid paint of their foreheads, they might find them someone decent. M? Probably stands for Moron."

Trunks didn't mind that she interrupted him. In a way he was grateful that she saved him from saying something dumb. She was his; that made him happy. He smiled to himself and walked her on. Well, for a little ways anyway. Once at the fair, Shell really took the lead and urged Trunks around the fair grounds. They rode rides and played games for a fairly long while. Trunks and Shell enjoyed the rollercoaster and the Ferris wheel and various other rides together. While on the Ferris wheel, Trunks and Shell got stuck at the top. As they sat together arms linked, they looked out at the horizons of the city. To the northeast, past the buildings, mountains lined the far away horizon. Subtle rain clouds began to accumulate behind them. The tops of the clouds could be seen over the brownish crest of mountains. Then to the west, was the ocean. Trunks and Shell both could appreciate the ocean in West City. The beachheads were constructed of white sand that almost seemed like snow. The coast waters were a rich, emerald green that faded to light blue as the ocean deepened, and a darker blue beyond that. It was the most beautiful scene even in the daytime, except for the storm clouds in the far distance. Trunks had a feeling that they would be walking home through that. Shell's attention broke from the horizon over to Trunks.

"You know, Trunks, I used to be afraid of heights," she told him.

Trunks looked at her eyes for a moment.

"Isn't it funny," she asked, "that now I'll never be afraid of it again?"

For a moment Trunks was confused. He'd been able to fly since he was younger than ten, so heights were never much of a problem for him. After a second, though, Trunks managed to figure out what she meant and it showed in his face and eyes. The warm feeling in his chest came back, but he didn't want her to think he was stupid, so he decided to disavow the feeling. For Trunks, the rollercoaster was an easier ride to get on because there were less awkward situations for him. The cart traveled much too fast for Shell to say anything romantic. Not that he minded her saying anything romantic, he thought she was unable to say anything that wasn't beautiful. The hard part was figuring out what to say back to her without making an idiot of himself. Of the games they played, one was a target shoot, and Trunks actually surprised himself. He was a better shot than he had thought. He had never really had to use a gun, so his accuracy and precision was a pleasant surprise to him. But then again, his aim was of not much compare to Shell's. She scored a full forty points above his own.

"Well we all can't have the ability to put people through cars, Trunks," she had said playfully when he gave her a questioning look. "Some of us have to protect ourselves in more conventional ways."

Trunks just smiled and walked her on. Of course, Shell wanted to see what all Trunks could win for her from the fair grounds. The most obvious choice was the strength test. Shell knew that he could send the roller past the bell and into orbit if he wanted, but it would be interesting to see how Trunks would handle it. Grabbing up the mallet with one hand, Trunks neared the platform. Trunks knew that hitting the roller would actually take much more skill than was needed, mostly because he didn't want to draw attention to himself. The man standing next to the roller column had been watching as Trunks stepped up to the platform. This man was probably somewhere in the neighborhood of two hundred, sixty pounds and about six feet, seven inches tall.

As Trunks pulled the mallet into position, the behemoth of a man let out a taunting laugh. "That little pipsqueak is going to try this?" he boomed. "Hey, kid, impress your girlfriend and try the Junior Test over there," he suggested.

"Don't listen to him, Trunks," Shell cried out from behind him, "Show him what real strength is!"

Trunks looked back at her as if wondering which person to follow.

"You don't know what you're talking about, babe; that kid couldn't make it half-way up this column," he taunted again. "It takes every bit of strength I have to make a solid hit on the bell on this one.

Shell glared at the man and then her focus changed to Trunks. Trunks was still facing her, and he didn't look pleased with what the man had said to her. Trunks began to turn slowly to face the man and his column. Trunks looked hard at the man, and the man returned the look.

Trunks slowly raised the mallet in his right hand to a forty five degree angle with his head. "You should've listened to her," Trunks said with a smirk, much like the one he gave Frieza before his end. With that, Trunks brought the mallet down on the lever with the slightest hint of effort. It made no difference. The roller shot to the top of the column in about the equivalent speed of a bolt of lightning. There was a loud, hollow ding, like the sound of a broken bell. The roller did stop but it didn't come back down. The roller had cracked the bell and wedged up inside it. The bell cracked down the middle and slowly fell down off the column with the roller inside. It crashed to the ground and the people nearby turned to see. The man's mouth had dropped open at the impact of the roller, but it was still wide open. Trunks let go of the mallet – it was implanted in the lever – and walked over to the vendor running the activity booth. He handed him enough Zeni Credits to pay for the damages five times over, took the largest prize and handed it to Shell, and walked away.

"It's rigged," Trunks said to the on looking crowd, "It's all how you hit it." Trunks and Shell walked away and left the ignorant in awe.

For a while, Trunks and Shell simply rode rides and played games and talked to each other about various more subjects. After some time, they came to a ring within the borders of the fair; a fighting ring. In the center of the ring, stood a fairly short, blonde-headed man wearing sunglasses and a suit. Apparently, he ran the activity and was the self-proclaimed vendor, referee, and announcer.

In a most annoying voice, the man sapped up the crowd in his best game show host voice, "Step right up here for your chance at one hundred, thousand Zeni! Here today we're hosting an exhibition match between my fighters and any challengers in the crowd. There's only a small entrance fee of one hundred Zeni to prove your power to the world! Who's it going be, folks? Haven't any men in the crowd the guts to face off against these fighters?"

Trunks and Shell looked on at the exhibit of mass and muscle. The man had with him five fighters. Standing in the ring with him, from left to right, first, was a man of about Trunks' height and build. He wore a sleeveless jacket with no undershirt and fighting fatigues for pants with boots. He had medium-long, blonde hair and brown eyes. The next two in line were of the same skin color and favored in appearance. The first of the two was a bit smaller than Trunks, maybe five feet, four inches or so. But the one after him must have been at least six-and-a-half-feet tall. They both had the same pale skin, and faint grayish eyes; both had no hair or eyebrows, and wore black, fighting fatigues with a purple belt and the taller a black, wrestling spandex outfit.

"Look, Trunks," Shell whispered, "They must be morons too."

Trunks looked a minute and then understood her reasoning. The second and third fighters both also bore an "M" on their foreheads. Trunks silently stared in suspicion. It wasn't so much the "M" on their foreheads to him as it was the strange energy signal he got from them. He could sense their strength, but there was something more to it than that. It seemed to have its own dark characteristics as opposed to only being a reading of strength. Trunks knew something was wrong.

After them was the fourth, medium tall about the same as the second, with short brown hair and civilian clothes and a hat. The last in the row was a rather short, but husky man with dark, curly hair, a mustache, and a partly shaven beard. Like the second and third fighters, he too actually seemed somewhat muscular, and he wore a brown tunic with no undershirt and white fighting fatigues with brown boots.

From left to right, the announcer introduced each fighter, "People of West City, I give you the most powerful fighters on the planet: Mitsu, Yamu, Spopovich, Ran Li, and the World Champion from the days of the old World Tournament, the Mighty Hercule!"

The man marked Hercule raised his hand for applause. Eagerly enough, he received only a few acknowledgments from the few old enough to remember the once glorious tournaments. With the destruction the Androids had brought upon the Earth, the remnants of the old tournament had been forgotten. Even the great name of Goku had been forgotten by most everyone. Trunks remembered. But then Trunks remembered and had met many of the world's best defenders and fighters. He wasn't sure how this clown had cheated Goku or his father, Vegeta, out of the title of World Champion, but he knew that his mother would know. Trunks tucked away the question in the back of his mind to ask later.

Disappointed that no one had jumped up initially to fight, the announcer continued, "No takers, folks? None at all? Hmm, well, I'll tell you what. If you can put together a team of five, I'll let you challenge my fighters in a team elimination fight. Each fight will pit the starting, and then subsequently the surviving member of each team against the next in progressively strongest order, how's that? Then, the winning team, if any, may divide the prize money among the remaining team members. Come on now, folks!"

There was a pause and then a man stepped up. The crowd cheered and the announcer took his name. The man paid the entrance fee and began his team. Others joined him and soon he had four members of his team but was lacking a fifth.

"Come, come, surely there's one more out there!" nagged the announcer.

The announcer began calling people at random from the crowd each one backing down and claiming different refusals.

Trunks had turned his attention away from the crowd and announcer to two figures posted near the back of the crowd. Another absurdly tall man with reddish skin and long white hair stood near the end of the crowd. He wore a red tunic with a blue undergarment in the form of an ancient uniform, like something of a mystic. At the belt was an orange sash and he wore yellow boots. His face produced dark eyes and a most unpleasant smirk. Next to him stood an almost ironic, absurdly short man. He had violet skin with a light-blue mohawk. He wore mostly a matching outfit to his companion only his colors were of a dark blue tunic, and a light blue undergarment, no sash, and orange boots. His facial expression displayed the same dark eyes, but a more lighthearted gesture to the expression about him. He also had on him a pair of glass earrings, one in each ear. But perhaps most peculiar about these two, is that they too had an abnormal energy reading. And for whatever reason, it seemed to be the complete opposite of the two onstage. Trunks didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew that he should keep his eyes open and Shell close.

While Trunks studied the two new arrivals, Fate was at work on and off the stage. "How about you there in the Capsule Corp t-shirt?" the announcer asked Trunks. Trunks wasn't listening; he was still examining the two newcomers at the rear of the crowd. "I said you there with the Capsule Corp t-shirt and the lavender hair!" the announcer shouted again. No answer; from Trunks anyway. Trunks suddenly felt his arm being lifted up into the air, as if he were answering a role call. Trunks turned his attention back to his arm to find Shell holding it in the air as an answer to the announcer.

Trunks suddenly realized what was going on, and he asked Shell quietly, "What are you doing?"

"Don't be so jumpy," she replied, "We both know you could take out anyone up there with your eyes closed."

Trunks knew there was no point in trying to explain to her what he was worried about.

"So do we have a deal, Mister?" reeled the announcer.

Trunks wished the man would shut his hole; his voice was getting on Trunks' nerves. He looked back at Shell. She would be ok; he would only be a few feet away.

The announcer began to grow impatient. "So are you going to or not?" he asked again.

Trunks looked at the man hard. Apparently getting the message, the announcer shut up for a moment.

"Promise me you'll stay here and not wander off, ok Shell?" Trunks said to her quietly. "If anything weird should happen, I'll be right here for you and we'll get out of here quickly, ok?"

"O–ok, Trunks," she replied giving him a confused look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Trunks said as he turned to head up to the ring.

"It's about time," the announcer said under his breath.

Trunks paid the incessant little man his money, and took to his team in the blue corner of the ring.

"Ok, folks!" shouted the announcer, "Let's get this fight underway! The fighting order of my team will be Mitsu, Ran Li, Yamu, Spopovich, and Hercule. And since we don't have a way of testing the strength of the challenging team, we'll simply arrange them in the order they signed up. Uh, let's see here. Ok, it'll be Corogal, Silem, Leon, Hentaro, and Trunks Bri–! And Trunks Brief! Nope, I've read right, folks! It seems that Trunks Brief, the richest man in the world, and president of Capsule Corporation will be showing us his fighting talent here today! Let's hope he can put his money where his fists are! Haha, little joke, folks," he said laughing.

Trunks realized his mistake of signing his real name, but there was no recourse for it now.

"Now one last thing, contestants," he started again, "you are responsible for any injuries or, dare I say, deaths received during the course of these fights. If for any reason you do not wish to continue, please leave the arena now. You will be refunded half of your entry fee if you choose to go now, but if you wait until after this moment, you will receive no such refund. Make your choice. Each fight will have a set time limit of ten minutes and the match will be decided once a competitor is unable to continue the match or time runs out or a competitor is thrown from the ring. Being unable to continue meaning a competitor gives up, loses consciousness, breaks a limb or joint, or is killed or anything else that inhibits performance, understand? Killing is discouraged, but cannot be enforced."

Trunks considered leaving and letting him keep the money just so he didn't have to hear the man's voice anymore, but he also considered Shell and how she wanted to see him in action again so he stayed. Of course, in the back of his mind he didn't expect her to see much action because he didn't plan on playing with anyone for very long, he just wanted the thing over with.

"I'll assume your silence means you agree to the terms and conditions, so let's get this fight on!" the announcer boomed again. "The first match is Mitsu vs. Corogal! Fighters at your corners, and FIGHT!"

"Thank God," Trunks thought to himself. He cared little about the match but cared even less about the announcer. At least the match would keep the idiot bottled up for a little while. Well, Trunks was wrong. The announcer did his best to keep tabs on everything that was happening in the match and so Trunks was forced to try to zone out the annoying voice of a professional idiot rambler. Apparently the fight was somewhere near matched because the crowd enjoyed it and the announcer wouldn't shut up, but then again, the announcer never shut up. Trunks began to think he would most likely appreciate the man more if this was not his job. Finally the match ended in a close victory for the announcer's team. Mitsu had won and Corogal was awake a few moments later, apparently a KO. "Here he goes," Trunks thought again.

"Oh, too bad for the challenging team!" the announcer continued, "Corogal lost a very close match but now moving on to Mitsu vs. Silem. I hope Mitsu's endurance holds out in this match or he may be in for a loss! Ready? Fight!"

"Do you think?" Trunks insulted the man silently again. "Maybe he doesn't know that he's tired so he needs you to tell him every match!" Trunks went against his more irritable side and decided the man was just trying to make a living. A short time went by and the match was over. Trunks had been monitoring the power readings of each fight in the back of his mind, but nothing had concerned him of yet. Silem had won because Mitsu had given it everything he had in the first match. Of course Trunks anticipated the bellowing synopsis of an announcing whale for all blind and deaf people in the audience.

"And Mitsu has gone down in this match!" the man started, "Now on to the next match up, Silem vs. Ran Li! Fight!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. Subtly, Trunks began to wonder why the Androids had not killed him instead of other, more useful civilians. It wasn't because they couldn't hear him. The fight lasted a medium amount of time, but Trunks could feel the outcome before looking. Ran Li had crescent kicked Silem just hard enough to take out his balance, consciousness, and the match. Silem fell over the ropes for a ring out and KO.

The announcer began to pretend to mediate and referee again and he called the next match. "Ok, challengers are down to three contestants and the home team is still at four, the next match is Leon vs. Ran Li!"

Trunks was impressed in this match because Leon did have a great deal of strength for a human, even by Trunks' standards. Trunks turned to watch the match. Leon was only a few inches taller than Trunks and really only a bit more built. Of course, it's not your muscle mass, it's how far your energy can push them; but even still, Leon seemed to have enough of both. He had short brown hair, with green eyes. He wore jungle-green fighting fatigues and black boots, and had on a dark grey t-shirt. Since Trunks was only dressed in jeans and a Capsule Corp t-shirt, he really considered Leon to be the only one there who seemed like a person for Trunks to take seriously.

The announcer shouted, "Fight!" and the match began.

"Are you ready to lose?" Ran Li taunted.

"Don't know about losing, but I'm certainly ready to shut you up," Leon answered.

"Don't mock me!" Ran Li shouted back.

And with that, Ran Li ran at Leon as fast as he could, for whatever reason, Leon couldn't figure out, because Leon simply sidestepped and chopped his hand into the back of Ran Li's neck. Ran Li gave a slight groan and tripped, slamming into the mat face-first. Leon stood there wondering if the fool still wanted to continue. Ran Li slowly got up and turned to face Leon. His face was blood red and the anger in him had already started to rush out. Again Ran Li charged at Leon this time screaming at him as he went. Then Leon did something that not even Trunks could have expected. As Ran Li raised his arm to clothesline Leon, Leon vanished into lines and reappeared behind Ran Li. Before he was finished he had grabbed Ran Li's clothes lining arm, pulled it to bring Ran Li around in a circle for his face to meet Leon's elbow. Blood erupted from his nose and mouth as he slammed into Leon's elbow and bounced off as though he had smashed into a brick wall. From the time Leon had moved around Ran Li in a vanish move, until he smashed Ran Li's face line with his elbow, he had been moving fast enough that even Trunks didn't really see all of the fight, he had blinked but kept up with Leon's flowing energy level to figure out what had happened. The crowd stood transfixed for a moment, looking in awe as Ran Li lay on the mat bleeding and unconscious. Trunks was happy to see that even the announcer had lost his sense of game show hosting prowess. Trunks was impressed and eager to see Leon fight again, but as for the crowd they were still in somewhat of a shock. Trunks also noticed that the two characters at the back of the crowd as well as the two with the "M's" on their heads both seemed interested. Then, humored, Trunks turned his attention back to the announcer.

"Uh, um, folks," stuttered the announcer, "I'm really not sure what all just happened, but damn! Ran Li's out cold with a bloody nose and mouth, and Leon hasn't even broken a sweat! Uh, well, the match is decided; Leon wins, and, well, just take Ran Li to the back of the stage," he told his clean up crew.

Leon walked to the blue corner of the arena and stood waiting for his next match. Hentaro may have been speechless, but Trunks wasn't.

Trunks got as close as he could to the corner of the arena and looked up at Leon's back. "Excellent match!" Trunks complimented excitedly, "Where did you learn to do that?"

Leon slowly turned to look over his shoulder. "Thank you, Mr. Brief, but it wasn't much. The opponent was just a clown, anyone could've beaten him if they had just drowned out his stupid mouth."

"It's Trunks," Trunks replied happy to make his acquaintance, "and you're Leon...?"

"Leon Datch," he answered.

"Oh well it's very good to meet you then," Trunks added.

"And you, Trunks," Leon replied, "I've heard a great deal about you."

"Oh?" Trunks asked.

"You destroyed the Androids, right?" Leon asked surprisingly.

"How did you–?" Trunks began, "How did you find out about that?"

"Because I watched you do it," Leon answered. "Do you remember the old man you saved from the male android?"

Trunks thought for a moment. The one 17 had pulled a gun on, of course. "Yeah, I remember," Trunks agreed.

"He was my grandfather," Leon informed. "I was on my way to help him and would've been too late without you. I had been training all my life to fight those things, but you beat me to the punch, literally."

"I'm sorry that you didn't get your revenge," Trunks apologized.

"I did," Leon contented, "even if I didn't get rid of them, someone did, and that's all that mattered. Besides, if it had not been for you getting there seconds ahead of me, my grandfather would have died. I thank you for beating me there."

"Anytime," Trunks answered then paused for a minute not knowing exactly where to carry the conversation next.

"This next opponent has a strange sense to him," Leon said suddenly. "Hard to tell what's life force and what's... evil."

"What?" Trunks said surprised.

"This enemy, Yamu and his brother Spopovich, do you feel their power readings?" Leon asked.

"Yeah," Trunks answered again, "But, maybe they're just foreign?"

"It's an odd feeling," Leon responded, "I've never felt anything like it before, much like those two behind your girl in the crowd."

Trunks' stomach sank. He turned quickly to see both of the characters that had entered the area from the rear of the crowd standing directly behind Shell. His first impulse was to go fix the problem, whatever it might be, but Leon stopped him.

"Don't," Leon instructed, "I don't think they're here to hurt her."

"But you don't know that," Trunks said through gritted teeth.

"No, I don't," Leon replied, "but they seem more interested in... Could you do that again, Trunks?"

"Do what?" Trunks asked.

"Become alarmed," Leon told him, "When you did, I almost got a gauge on your power level, but then you suppressed it again."

"I'm sorry, but I've learned to keep it suppressed over the years," Trunks apologized.

"To keep away unwanted company, no doubt," Leon finished.

"Right," Trunks confirmed, "so why do you want to know my power level?"

"Because I have been checking around to each fighter's potential since we got here, and I believe you may be the strongest person out here today," Leon reasoned.

"Why would you think that," Trunks asked trying to sway his confidence.

"Because I've seen you fight, remember, so there's no sense in hiding it from me," he pointed out.

Trunks hesitated, and then agreed, "Ok, Leon, but only for a second. I don't want any unwelcome attention."

"I understand," Leon thanked.

Trunks relaxed for a moment, and then allowed his power to flow, but only for a second. Trunks stopped and regained his control on suppressing his power level.

Leon stood silent for a moment. "Your power is incredible, Trunks," Leon complemented. "I've never felt anything so strong."

"Thanks, Leon," Trunks said quietly, "but I hope the two in black and those two behind Shell didn't get a glimpse of it."

"What would be wrong if they did," asked Leon, "We might get lucky and they'd all run off scared."

Trunks gave a slight laugh and said, "Don't count on it, I'm never that lucky. Looks like you're up again, Leon. Best of luck, I don't know how this guy is going to fight."

"Thanks, Trunks," Leon said as he turned to face his next opponent.

By now the announcer, much to the dismay of Trunks, had managed to get the matches up and running again, and so he was back to aggravate Trunks. "All right, folks!" he shouted, "Looks like we're back up and running so let's get the next match started, what do you say? The next match is Leon vs. Yamu! Get ready! Fight!"

The fight started as Yamu readied himself for battle, but Leon kept his calm, collective stance in the blue corner. Without warning, Yamu took off flying towards Leon in an attempt to put his face through the mat. Leon moved around him to the center of the ring with another vanishing move.

"You missed me," Trunks could hear Leon say.

Trunks smiled. This was about to get good.

Yamu bolted around and flew at Leon. Just before Yamu was within arm length, Leon took off and flew up thirty feet into the air and stopped. Yamu stopped at the foot of where Leon had flown from and looked up. Then without hesitation he too bolted for the aerial battle. Trunks watched as Yamu flew upwards toward Leon, and just as the two fighters came together, a quick and steady throw of punches and kicks at lightning speeds erupted between them. They continued to battle there for several moments and, apart from Trunks, no one else in the crowd really knew how the fight was going. Trunks was happy in the back of his mind to see that the announcer had no idea what was happening and didn't bother trying to explain to the crowd. After another few moments of the battle in the air, someone made a mistake and one of the fighters was knocked downward into the ring. Yamu hit hard against the ring and bounced, but fell face-first into the mat. Leon landed behind him.

"I think you should give up before you get hurt," Leon told Yamu.

Yamu stood up and looked to Spopovich standing off to the side of the ring. Trunks watched, as Spopovich nodded a "no" to Yamu. Trunks continued for a moment when Spopovich turned to look at Trunks. Spopovich's cold, pale eyes seemed to try to pierce Trunks' skin and set him ablaze. Trunks knew that Spopovich was not happy to see him. It was an evil look, a gaze; and he was not blinking. Spopovich's eyes were hollow, as if he had no life of his own. It was like he was a puppet, glass eyed without free will. After the look became too uncomfortable for Trunks to look at, he turned his attention back to the ring. Unfortunately, only to find that Yamu was also staring him down, as though he was a fugitive, or better yet, prey.

"Yamu," Leon shouted, "Your fighting me, remember? If you want him, you can go through me first. Here I am; come and get me."

Yamu turned his attention back to Leon. Without a word, Yamu took off after Leon and again was overtaken by Leon's power. Leon parried Yamu's outstretched arm and threw Yamu over his hip towards the edge of the ring. Yamu knew he was heading out of the ring and attempted to save himself, but Leon was ahead of him and sent a small, greenish beam from one hand into Yamu's back pushing him out of the ring and into the grass. Yamu got up slowly and turned around angrily to glare at Leon. Leon still held his hand outstretched from beaming Yamu, but slowly began to retract his arm to a rest position. The middle of Yamu's back was slightly charred, but he was certainly not fazed. Leon looked at the announcer.

"Uh, oh, Leon is the winner!" shouted the announcer.

The crowd cheered but Leon and Yamu eyed one another and Trunks and Spopovich looked on. Suddenly Yamu bolted again at Leon, who was waiting and ready.

"Hold yourself, Yamu!" a deep booming voice called out from across the ring from Trunks.

Yamu had come to a halt, and Trunks and Leon turned to see Spopovich to be the one who called him off.

"He is not the one," Spopovich told his brother, "Save your strength for the real battle."

Yamu turned and walked away from the ring and Spopovich climbed up the side to enter.

"Well," cried the announcer, "I see Spopovich and Leon are already anxious to move along so let's get the next round started!"

"Shut your mouth," muttered Spopovich as he passed the announcer, "and let us get on with this."

"Hey!" the announcer protested, "You can't talk to me like th–."

Before he could finish, Spopovich turned, took the microphone from his hand, and crushed it in his palm. He handed the crumpled pieces back to him and turned to move along.

"O–okay then," the announcer said softly, "you two go right ahead; I'll just be over there somewhere." The announcer went to search for a restroom.

Spopovich turned to face Leon, and his aura suddenly flared up around him in a grayish color.

"What energy," Leon said to himself. "I'm not sure I can cover all of that."

Leon didn't get to finish. Spopovich flew towards Leon and before he could move, Spopovich had punted him up into the air, flew up after him, and spiked him into the ground. Irritated, Leon burst out of the small crater and charged his power, but then realized it was too late. He had been knocked from the ring and had lost. He powered down and floated slowly back to the ground. Trunks ran over to where he had landed.

"Leon," Trunks said quickly, "are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Trunks," Leon said slowly. "Listen to me, Hentaro can't take that. He'll get his ass kicked in five seconds against that! But, what a strange power. There's a weird feeling to it, and at first it caught me off guard. He's not as strong as it will seem, because all of the power he shows isn't his, so don't be intimidated, but be careful."

"Ok, Leon," Trunks answered.

"Trunks, one more thing," Leon spoke up, "Something's up out there and I think they're after you. Be careful, ok?"

"Yeah, I thought so too," Trunks agreed, "Don't worry, Leon, I will be."

Leon walked with Trunks back over to the arena. Hentaro had entered the ring. The poor man didn't have a chance. The match began and Hentaro waited for Spopovich to attack first. Seeing this, Spopovich walked slowly over to Hentaro and glared down at him. Spopovich moved too quickly for Hentaro to counter and grabbed him by the throat and held him off the ground. He turned to face Leon and Trunks. Apparently, Spopovich was enjoying the facial expressions of the two because he smiled cynically as they watched with shocked faces.

"For my brother's loss," Spopovich announced as he broke Hentaro's neck and cast him out of the ring and onto the ground in front of Trunks and Leon.

Trunks ran to his side and checked for a pulse. There was none.

"He's, he's dead," Trunks said in awe. Trunks lowered his head in sadness.

Leon stood for a moment eyeing the body of Hentaro. Trunks felt it and looked up at Leon.

"Leon, NO!" cried Trunks.

Leon's rage took shape, blaming himself for the loss of innocent blood. Leon's aura burst into green as he took flight and charged at Spopovich. Spopovich brought up his own grayish aura and took the defensive. The two began to battle in the middle of the ring. Trunks' first impulse was to help Leon, but then his attention returned to Shell. Where was she? She and the two characters that had shown up earlier had disappeared. Trunks became scared. Where could she be? And in the midst of having to aid Leon, he also had to hunt for Shell! The decision was too much! Trunks looked around frantically. He couldn't see Shell anywhere. Panic started to take over the crowd due to the extensive damage done to the ring by Leon and Spopovich. The crowd fled, and the fair was in a riot.

"Damn it!" Trunks thought to himself. Trunks still saw no sign of Shell or the two characters that had been with her.

"Leon," Trunks said out loud. He would need Leon to help him search for Shell. Trunks turned to see Leon and Spopovich still battling in the ring. Trunks yelled gathering up much of his energy, and his aura started to appear. White, then gradually to a bluish color. The city was shaking at his power. Even in his normal form he had gained enough power to create devastating effects. Spopovich and Leon paused their fight to look at Trunks.

"He's the one," Leon heard Spopovich say.

Leon and Spopovich turned to look at one another. Suddenly Leon's joints locked and he couldn't move.

"What the hell?" Leon said to himself.

Spopovich took advantage of the opportunity and hit Leon hard sending him flying into the grass and digging a small rut in his wake.

Trunks had finished powering up quickly but suddenly came to realize that he couldn't move. "What?" Trunks thought, "What's going on?"

Spopovich flew at Trunks and grabbed him and held him from behind. Ignorant to the fact that Trunks couldn't move, Spopovich held on with all his might. Alarmed that he couldn't move and that he had a three hundred plus pound man on him, Trunks powered up more hoping to break free of his hold. For a moment Trunks thought he had broken free of the invisible barrier holding him still, but added to Spopovich's power it was a bit too much to break. Then Trunks saw Yamu come flying towards him with something in his hand. He couldn't see what it was, because Yamu was flying too quickly but as for what happened next, Trunks would never forget. At first the feeling came as a pressured feeling like something pushing against him. Then the feeling became hollow like something moving through his body. A sharp pain; a stinging sensation as if someone had caught his torso on fire and forced it into a single area to hurt. The harsh realization came to Trunks that he had just been stabbed in the torso. All became quiet, save a terrible ringing sensation that echoed throughout Trunks' ears and into his brain. Trunks looked around. He saw people panicking and running away from the area. He looked across the way to see Leon laying face down in the rut he had been motivated to create. He looked down to see Yamu holding a jar with a point to his torso. Blood trickled out of his wound and down his shirt and jeans and onto the ground. Trunks felt everything leave him. His energy, his consciousness, his life. All felt as though it was being sucked from him. Then the last thing he saw was Yamu remove the prong from his torso, and he and Spopovich fly off northward. Trunks fell to his knees and looked up one last time.

"Shell?" Trunks whimpered as she ran towards him. The two characters he had seen earlier were standing behind her as she ran to him. Shell was screaming something as she ran to him, but Trunks was already passing. He couldn't hear her. She approached him and held him close to her. Trunks saw her face, her beautiful face so close to his. Her eyes were full of tears. Then darkness closed in. Trunks lost consciousness and fell into her.


	5. Chapter 5: Majin Who?

Chapter 5: Majin Who?

It was raining. Not hard rain, but nonetheless a sturdy fall of it. In the now quiet and empty fairgrounds, Shell sat on the ground cradling Trunks' head in her lap.

"Trunks," Shell said quietly, "Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone again. Please, Trunks, come back to me." She began to sob quietly to herself.

The two characters that had kept Shell with them during the chaos stepped toward Shell and her half-Saiyan companion on the ground.

"Kibito, heal him quickly; we haven't much time," the shorter character ordered.

"Yes, Master," the assumed Kibito obeyed as he stepped forward to Shell and Trunks.

Shell slowly turned with tears in her eyes to look up at Kibito and his companion. "WHY?" she screamed, "Why did you let them do this to Trunks? You told me he'd be ok! You told me that you would protect him!"

"You must move so that I can help him," Kibito instructed Shell.

"You've helped him enough!" Shell protested. "Now leave him alone!"

Kibito began to negotiate, but his master interrupted, "Shell, you must let Kibito heal Trunks. If you do not, he will die soon and with him, any chance of saving this planet. Do you understand? What other choice do you have than to trust us?"

Shell hesitated for a moment.

"We haven't any more time for this!" Kibito's master shouted.

"OK!" Shell retaliated, "Just, please help him."

She gave up Trunks to Kibito. Kibito kneeled over Trunks' body and extended his palms to Trunks' head and chest. A look of calm concentration came over Kibito's face. After a second, Kibito's body began to glow a faint red color. The faint redness passed from his body, to his palms, and into Trunks. Slowly Trunks' wound began to seal itself and the bleeding stopped. Kibito held the pattern for a few moments and then stopped.

"I feel it as well, Kibito," his master said breaking the silence. "Babidi's spies are close. Has he enough life force to make it somewhere safe?"

Kibito nodded, "Yes, Master, but we must move quickly; I've not finished his healing."

"Very well," his master acknowledged. "Shell, do you know the way to Trunks' home?"

Shell nodded.

"Then we shall go there," Kibito's master announced. "Shell, come with me. Kibito, carry Trunks and Leon. We shall need his help as well."

Kibito and Shell did as they were told and the five of them were off the ground and headed to Capsule Corp Mansion.

"Head that way," Shell instructed Kibito's master. "I'll let you know which house it is when we come across it."

He nodded and followed her lead.

"By the way," Shell asked, "Who are you anyway?"

There was a hesitant silence. Kibito looked at his master flying next to him.

"Well?" Shell asked impatiently.

"My name is Shin," Kibito's master answered, "I am the Supreme Kai."

"The what?" Shell asked ignorantly.

Kibito stumbled on a cloudy tripwire and yelled, "HAVE YOU NO RESPECT? You don't know who the Supreme Kai is?"

"Hmm, let me think," Shell said slowly, "Uh, yeah, that's why I asked. NO. I don't know who he is, or I would not have asked!"

"Control your tongue!" Kibito shouted.

"Silence!" Shin commanded. "Continue and there will be no need for Trunks' energy; that monster will be awakened by the decibel levels you two are producing! Now, Shell, I am the Supreme Kai, Shin. I am not surprised that you are unaware of my existence, since the Kais of Old are all but extinct. Kais are overseers of the forces at work in the universe."

"A demigod?" Shell questioned.

"Yes, in a sense," Shin continued, "But there are very few now living that remember the power of the Kais. As the Supreme Kai, I am the highest of the Kais, and am here with my servant, Kibito, on a mission."

Shell sat quietly for a moment, digesting all that had been presented. "So why are you here?" she asked directly.

Without hesitation, Shin answered, "To prevent an unspeakable evil from swallowing this universe in its poison shadow. That's why I need Trunks' help. I will explain more later, but right now, we must get to his home."

Without objection, Shell remained quiet other than to direct Shin to Capsule Corp Mansion.

---

Once there, Shell pointed out the Mansion to Shin and Kibito, and they landed. Bulma met them in the yard.

"Shell, honey, where's Tru–?" Bulma asked and then saw Kibito carrying her son's lifeless body, "Oh, no! Not again; it can't be!"

Shell ran to Bulma to calm her down, "Mrs. Brief! Listen, Trunks is ok! He's just sleeping; we need to keep him safe while he heals. Help us get him in."

Bulma, her eyes wet, helped them into the mansion and into a room.

"Put Trunks down here, and lay the other boy over there," Bulma ordered Kibito. "Now somebody better explain to me what's going on before I use one of you two as a transplant donor," she said to Shin and Kibito.

"Mrs. Brief," Shell intervened again, "He can heal people; I know it sounds hard to believe, but trust me. Let him heal Trunks while you come with me and I can explain what's going on, ok?"

If Bulma had not seen a Namek regenerate before in her lifetime, she probably would not have believed that Kibito could do anything better than she could. Reluctantly, she allowed Kibito to heal Trunks and Leon, while Shin and Shell explained everything to her. Kibito worked diligently to heal Leon first so that he could help distract their enemies. If Leon helped hold off their enemies long enough, Trunks could become weak again, and then Kibito could heal him fully. Shin and Kibito knew of Saiyan powers and were counting on Trunks' two near-death experiences to increase his fighting power dramatically. Kibito finished healing Leon just as Shin had finished explaining the situation to Bulma.

Leon opened his eyes, and slowly began to sit up on his bed.

"Careful, young man," Kibito urged, "I think you should feel much better now, though."

"Who are you?" Leon asked.

"We've no more time," Shin interrupted, "Leon, you must come with me quickly, I will explain on the way."

"On the way? Hold on everybody, where are we going?" Leon asked confused.

"Leon," Shell said stepping forward, "just go with him, Trunks and I will catch up to you as soon as we can, ok? I know this is all too much too fast, but just trust us, we're on your side."

Leon hesitated for a moment.

"We're running out of time!" Shin urged.

"OK! Ok, let's go," Leon agreed with obligation. Leon and Shin left the mansion and stood outside.

"Hold onto me," Shin commanded.

"What are you doing?" Leon asked.

"DO IT!" Shin shouted, his concentration focusing somewhere else.

"Ok, ok," Leon said as he put his hand on Shin's shoulder.

"There," Shin said out loud. They began to fade into lines, and then disappeared altogether.

Back inside, Kibito's attention was immediately turned to Trunks. Kibito again calmed himself and began the concentrated process of healing Trunks' body. As Kibito's red aura began to glow again, he began to heal Trunks. Slowly, Trunks' wound on his abdomen began to heal. Scratches and cuts began to fade. His clothing reconstructed its threads. For Shell, the familiar feeling she had from Trunks began to return. She could feel his life force returning and his aura spreading. Bulma and Chi Chi joined Shell to watch in awe as Kibito stopped pulsating his life energy, opened his eyes, and retracted his open palms. Trunks flinched and then coughed. Shell and Bulma ran to his side.

"He will be fine now," Kibito assured them.

They all watched anxiously for Trunks to move. Then, slowly, Trunks opened his eyes.

"Shell?" he said hoarsely.

"Trunks!" Shell shouted happily as she pinned him to the bed with a hug. With tears in her eyes she told him, "Trunks, you had me so worried. I thought I'd lost you."

Trunks lay there for a moment and then hugged her back. In her ear he said softly, "No, Shell, you'll never lose me. You'll never lose me."

Shell slowly released her grasp on him and Trunks sat up in the bed.

"Hi, Mom; I'm home," he coughed.

Bulma and Chi Chi swelled with tears.

"Speaking of which, do you think I could eat dinner now?" Trunks asked with a smile.

"That proves it," Chi Chi announced, "he's officially ok."

They laughed together.

"Excuse me," Kibito said cutting in.

"You were at the fair," Trunks responded.

"He healed you," Shell informed.

Trunks looked up at Kibito. "Thank you," Trunks said to him.

"You are quite welcome, my friend," Kibito answered, "But I must ask you a favor in return."

"Yes?" Trunks asked.

"I must ask you to come with me," Kibito started, "The Earth is in grave danger and you will have to help if this world shall see tomorrow."

Trunks frowned. "What has happened?" he asked.

"There is no time to explain, I'm afraid," Kibito said, "It's imperative that we leave now. I will explain on the way."

Trunks looked at Bulma and Chi Chi.

Bulma knew what Trunks would say, but she already knew of the threat brewing. "He's right, Trunks," she agreed, "There is no time. Go get dressed and meet us in the front yard."

If his mother actually wasn't going to fight him on this one, Trunks knew that it must be something big.

"I'll be there in a minute," Trunks told them as he left the room and headed upstairs.

Deciding on what to wear wasn't a problem; Trunks grabbed the same clothes that had aided him in his adventures times before. He changed into his faded black fighting fatigues and black muscle shirt. With his brown belt and boots strapped, he put on his jacket and left his room. In the front yard, Chi Chi, Bulma, Shell, and Kibito were waiting on him. Chi Chi greeted him first.

"Trunks, be very careful and take this with you," Chi Chi said handing him – of all things – a sandwich. She kissed his forehead and gave him a hug and watched as he walked on to Bulma.

"I thought you might need this," Bulma said, "Try and be a little more careful with it this time, ok dear?" She handed him his sword.

Surprised, Trunks looked at her and asked, "But it was broken; how did you–?"

"Trunks, I built a time machine," Bulma lectured, "Reforging a sword is child's play."

"Thanks, Mom," Trunks told her as he hugged her. She kissed him on the forehead and let him walk on.

Kibito was becoming impatient. Trunks walked to Shell.

"Let's go," Shell said as she put her arms around Trunks' neck expecting to be picked up. It didn't happen. "Trunks, what are you waiting for?" she asked.

"Shell I want you to stay here," he told her. "It won't be safe out there, and I don't want to put you in danger again, ever."

She stared at him for a moment. "Whatever, Trunks, I'm going with you," she protested with a look of irritation in her eyes.

"No," he instructed her.

"Trunks, I'm coming!" she shouted. Tears began to come to her eyes. "I told you, I'm not losing you again."

"And I told you that you won't ever lose me," Trunks said quietly. "I'm giving you that gift, Shell. I promise that I'll come back to you. We won't lose one another, I promise you. Understand?"

Still crying, Shell nodded. "I understand. Promise?"

Nodding, Trunks said, "I promise."

Shell grabbed Trunks and hugged him. Trunks held her and cradled her head in his chest. Slowly, she looked up at him. Again, Trunks felt the burning sensation in his chest cavity and wanted to kiss her. And for once, he decided to go through with it. He touched her face with his right hand and wiped away a tear. Slowly he lowered his face to hers and closed his eyes. Likewise, Shell also brought her lips up to his.

"Trunks," Kibito said breaking them apart, "I'm sorry, but we must hurry, or it will be too late."

Trunks turned back to Shell. "Go with my mother and Chi Chi and stay in the underground shelter, ok? I want you to stay there until I come back for you. Go."

Shell hesitated for a moment and then hugged Trunks one last time and went with Bulma and Chi Chi inside the mansion to the shelter. Trunks watched as they went through the door, looked one last time at him, and then they were inside. Trunks turned to Kibito. His sword strapped and sandwich in hand, Trunks was ready to go.

"Let's go, I'll eat on the way," Trunks joked with Kibito.

"Very well," Kibito agreed.

They took off into the sky heading northward, following the energy signal put out by the warriors to the North.

---

No sooner had Shin and Leon disappeared, they rematerialized about seventy five miles north of Capsule Corp Mansion. They were past the mountains and floating over the desert sands below them.

"What was that?" Leon asked confused.

"Instantaneous movement," Shin answered, "But come, we must hurry before they reach their master."

Shin began flying after the huge energy reading from the North. Leon recognized it. It was Trunks' energy.

"Ok, now can you explain to me what happened after I went out?" Leon asked.

"Certainly," Shin responded, "You were attacked by two henchmen, Spopovich and Yamu. They are slaves, held by a spell, under a wizard named Babidi. Babidi and his followers have come to Earth looking for a monster that was laid to rest many centuries ago."

"Monster?" Leon asked arrogantly, "This day's getting better and better."

"Yes, and this day may be your last," Shin smirked, "unless we stop Babidi before he awakens this monster."

"So you need my help to stop some overrated evil from destroying the planet again, is that it?" Leon asked cynically.

"Do you have a death wish?" Shin asked in return.

"No, I just–,"Leon said as he was cut off

"Then don't be so arrogant!" Shin snapped. "This isn't your ordinary, garden-variety android; this is a monster that will tear this planet apart. Majin Buu will lay waste to everything this side of the universe."

"Majin Who?" Leon questioned.

"Majin Buu! Not Majin Who!" Shin snapped again.

"No, I was asking–,"Leon was cut off again.

"I am beginning to question myself on whether or not taking you along was worth the effort," Shin said to himself. "Listen to me, Leon. Majin Buu was set loose centuries ago. In his wake he left countless deaths, decimated planets, and carnage galore everywhere he went. Finally, I managed to seal him in an egg-prison so that he could not hurt any more people. Babidi has been searching for a way to awaken him ever since Buu's imprisonment centuries ago. Buu's egg, of course, was banished to the far reaches of the universe so that Babidi would never find him. We attempted to have Babidi killed, but he escaped and has been searching for Buu ever since."

"And so that 'far reaches of the universe' part you were talking about happened to be Earth?" Leon surmised. "Figures; our luck."

"It was a random banishment, silly man," Shin retaliated, "Besides, Earth has always been small, out-of-the-way, and subtle. It was the perfect hiding spot. And thanks to my servants and I, Buu has been kept secret for this long."

"Then why didn't you just destroy him in the first place?" Leon asked.

"Don't you think I tried?" Shin exclaimed, "My entire race tried. There is no way to beat him!"

"Ok, ok," Leon hushed, "Calm down. Ok, so we can't beat him. Who was your whole race?"

"The race of the Kais, of course," Shin remodeled, "I am the Supreme Kai, and Buu is my responsibility."

"Was your friend a Kai, too?" Leon continued.

"He is my servant, Kibito," Shin answered, "He and Trunks should be on their way to join us at this moment."

Leon was silent for a moment thinking of all the Supreme Kai had told him. Then his thoughts trailed to Trunks. The energy he had felt from Trunks was incredible to begin with, but before Spopovich had knocked him out, Leon could remember that Trunks' power had grown even more before he had blacked out.

"Do you think Trunks could beat Majin Buu?" Leon asked hesitantly.

"I don't know," Shin answered sadly, "I honestly don't know. He did put out an incredible amount of energy for a Saiyan; perhaps too much. If Buu is fed that power, we will definitely have a serious problem on our hands. I do not know which way this battle will fall. We must be patient and observe everything that happens."

"What are you talking about?" Leon said confused, "You called Trunks a Saiy–?"

"A Saiyan," Shin finished for him. "Well, half. His father was an alien to this world. A Saiyan Prince, to be precise."

"Trunks is only half human?" Leon concluded.

"Yes, but that isn't a bad thing in this situation," Shin assured him. "We shall need his the power of his mixed blood."

Shin thought for a moment. The powers ahead of them were beginning to lessen their pace. They were nearing the end of their search.

---

"And that is why we had to allow them to drain you of your energy, Trunks," Kibito finished explaining. "I'm terribly sorry for the whole incident, but it was most necessary."

"I'll live," Trunks said snuggly. He was finishing off the sandwich Chi Chi had made for him. One great thing about Chi Chi's cooking was that she knew how to appease a Saiyan's appetite. The sandwich – as it had been called – was more of the density of eight sandwiches crammed into one. "So how do we plan on beating this Majin Buu, if no one can?" Trunks asked honestly.

"We shall pray that we arrive before he is revived," Kibito answered respectively.

"Then, shouldn't we be moving more quickly?" Trunks asked again.

"And how much faster do you propose we fly?" Kibito replied.

Trunks realized his mistake. This _was_ as fast as Kibito could fly!

"Oh, I'm sorry," Trunks apologized. "We would give ourselves out before the fight," he bluffed, "I understand now..." Trunks continued to fly silently as to not be fed his foot again.

---

Back at Capsule Corp Mansion, Bulma, Shell, Chi Chi, and her father moved quickly around the mansion to secure the grounds. The storm clouds outside were still billowing over the city, and a small mist of rain still sprayed down from the atmosphere. Bulma went to the security system box to lock down the complex. Everyone else began collecting items to be taken deep into the shelter under the mansion. Bulma activated the systems and the mansion suddenly became dark and segregated from the outside world.

"Follow me," Bulma announced with a flashlight, "Trunks and I designed the underground shelter just in case something like this happened again."

Bulma led the others into the dark, underlying passageway to the elevator that descended to the shelter. The shelter, was in reality more of an underground home. All of the comforts of the mansion were somewhat creatively reconstructed underground. Chi Chi's father found his way to the living room to monitor the news of any updates of the situation. Chi Chi eventually joined him, and Bulma and Shell were left alone in the opening to the apartment.

"Shell, dear," Bulma said kindly. "Make yourself at home and if you need anything, come get me. I'll be just in there," she said pointing to a doorway to another part of the shelter. Bulma left and Shell stood alone in the den.

Shell wandered around for a few moments, examining the different rooms and articles that made up the shelter. It was actually rather large. Shell guessed that the shelter itself must take up as much space underground as the mansion did aboveground. She stumbled into the room where Chi Chi and her father sat on a couch watching the news.

"I wish these buffoons covered the real news," the Ox King commented hoarsely.

It didn't make Shell feel any more comfortable. She was safe; she didn't worry of that. But Trunks was out in this storm going off to fight some monster that always threatens the fate of the universe. "Why Trunks?" she thought. "Why did Trunks have to go off and leave her alone to fight some nameless evil and risk getting himself killed in the process?" It wasn't fair. If something did happen to Trunks, how would she be able to know? What if he never came back? Leon was strong, but if Trunks couldn't take care of things himself, she knew Leon would be of little use. But he had promised her that he would come back for her. He promised. Trunks wouldn't break a promise; unless something else broke it for him. It was no use! Nothing made her feel better, and the thought of losing Trunks was a scene she dared not even visualize.

"Shell, honey," Chi Chi said bringing Shell back to reality, "Are you ok, sweetie?"

Shell gathered herself. "Y-Yeah, um, yes, ma'am," she stuttered. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Chi Chi reevaluated, "Are you sure I can't get you anything? Maybe something to eat or drink?"

Shell thought for a moment. She couldn't understand why anyone could eat at a time like this, but the drink didn't sound that bad. "Yes, ma'am; perhaps a drink, please?"

"Certainly," Chi Chi said smiling as she stood up to go for the kitchen.

Chi Chi made her hot tea, which in otherwise happier circumstances would have tasted particularly good, but not that day. Chi Chi returned to the living room with her father, and Shell was left standing alone in the kitchen.

"Trunks," she said to herself quietly, the thought of him coming back to her.

"Is a grown boy," Bulma finished for her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Shell apologized.

"No apology, hon, I was just coming in to get some coffee," Bulma illustrated.

Shell smiled briefly and then resorted, "Mrs. Brief, I'm really worried about Trunks."

Bulma gave a slight laugh as she was making her coffee. "He'll be ok," she assured Shell, "He always is."

"How do you deal with it, ma'am?" Shell asked, sipping at her tea, "How do you deal with the thought that when something like this comes along, Trunks has to go out and face these things alone?"

Bulma hesitated. "To be honest," she said softly, "I'm still trying to learn."

Shell could see faintness of an urge to cry come across Bulma's face. Bulma invited Shell to the table to sit.

"But," Bulma said, sniffing, "He's the only one who can do it. I try to accept it."

"I'm having trouble with that," Shell admitted.

"Naturally," Bulma continued. "Shell, I believe everything happens for a reason, dear. We may not always understand it, but that doesn't stop it from happening all the same. I don't know why my son is the one who has to go do things like this. I wish he didn't. I wish that he could be at home safe, and not having me worry sick over him. But that's not the way things are. Trunks has his gift, just like every other person. For Trunks, it's being the strongest person on this planet. And because of that, he holds it to himself to defend this planet. I would rather it be me a thousand times over. But it's not; and I have to accept that. And so do you. I love my son, and wish he wouldn't go through with these dangerous things. But I also know that there is no one else; and he does too. But the important thing for me to remember is that he loves me. That's why he's out there now. He's protecting the people he loves. Like you, Shell..."

Shell had lowered her head earlier, but now looked up slowly at Bulma.

"You can see it in his eyes," Bulma said with a smile. "He loves you."

Tears began to swell into Shell's eyes. Through tears and loneliness, she coughed, "I know, ma'am... because I love him, too."

Bulma moved her chair around next to Shell to give her a shoulder to cry on. She comforted Shell until she stopped crying. Then, she took Shell to a bedroom where she could rest while Bulma went to watch the news with Chi Chi and her father.


	6. Chapter 6: Through Love & War

Chapter 6: Through Love & War

A bit further north of Leon and the Supreme Kai, Trunks and Kibito remained in their silent state of pursuing power levels. Suddenly, Trunks stopped short in his aerial tracks.

"Do you feel that?" Trunks asked Kibito.

"...No," he answered. "Feel what?"

"Exactly, I don't feel anything," Trunks explained. "It's as if Leon and the Supreme Kai just disappeared, altogether."

Kibito floated for a moment, his senses searching. "I can't sense them either," he concurred.

"Where would they have gone?" Trunks asked.

"Only to the site of Babidi's ship," Kibito answered. "They would not have gone _there_, would they?"

"Went where?" Trunks asked again.

"The Kai planet," Kibito explained. "It's not that late, so I don't think Master would have gone there."

Trunks wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he got the overall message. "Ok, well let's think," he began. "Did Yamu and Spopovich know that we were going to follow them?"

"No, they are possessed, they would not have been able to expect it," was Kibito's answer.

"Well, if that's so, then they would have had no reason to travel in anything other than a straight line, right?" Trunks reasoned. "Unless Leon and the Supreme Kai got to close... Can they sense power levels?"

"Depends upon the victim," Kibito surmised. "Their abilities before the spell and how they react to the process. It would be hard to say."

"Can you tell me who they were before they were possessed?" Trunks asked.

"Two fighters from the Old World Tournaments," Kibito remembered. "The tournaments have not been held in so long, I believe they spent most of their times as hired body guards or mercenaries."

"How strong were they before Babidi enslaved them?" Trunks continued.

"Fairly weak by your standards, Trunks," Kibito answered.

"Then, they may have not gotten far enough to sense energy levels," was Trunks' conclusion.

"What shall we do?" Kibito questioned.

"We only have one choice," Trunks said logically, "We keep heading in the direction we were going, and hopefully we'll crash into them."

Nodding in agreement, Kibito followed Trunks as he flew off into the northern sky. Kibito was impressed with Trunks' ability to catch on to things so quickly. His logic was very impressive and he managed to think on his feet. "This one has potential," was Kibito's thought as they flew.

---

"Leon," Shin instructed, "we must land just over those rocks, but not in plain view. Follow me."

Leon silently acknowledged and followed Shin's lead. They flew in low and hid in the rocky cliffs next to a ravine. The rain had stopped some time ago, but the storm clouds still remained. The dirt was dry by now. Of course, it being a desert this would not be surprising. Leon wiped his forehead and hair trying to get out the least bit of rain water left on him. But the Supreme Kai was not paying attention. His focus was bent on finding a way through the rocks to look down on the valley ravine. Leon followed behind slowly.

"Leon, remember to keep your power level suppressed," Shin reminded.

Leon let the insult go; it would do him no good to argue. They searched around silently until they had found a way through. As Leon followed closely behind Shin, the view of the ravine slowly began to come into sight. They watched as Yamu and Spopovich approached a small white cone in the middle of the sandy floor of the ravine.

"Supreme Kai," Leon whispered, "Something is strange; I can't sense their power levels."

"Babidi's black magic," Shin explained. "That's what is clouding our senses. Be most careful, Leon. Do not let it take grip of your emotions. If you do, you are just as susceptible to becoming Babidi's slave as those two. Remember that. You must focus on your purpose, nothing else."

Leon tried to bear that in mind. They watched the ravine floor with great intent. Yamu and Spopovich neared the small, white cone with eagerness.

"Master Babidi," Yamu screeched, "We have fulfilled our mission, Sire."

The white slides on the door began to whine quietly. They made a humming noise and then slowly, very slowly, they opened. A dark mist trailed out from within the sliding doors and gave the desert floor a sudden eerie feeling. Startled, Yamu and Spopovich stepped back awkwardly. Leon became eager to know what made a three hundred, plus pound man bear such a frightful look. He would find out soon enough. From within the small cone, emerged the giant of a character that had first emerged with the shorter character the first night they landed. His massive seven-and-a-half feet stature was met with blood red skin, a black goatee and hair, and pointed ears. To either side of the top of his forehead lined two shortened spikes, just beneath were two black, snake-shaped eyes, and in the center of his forehead was the unmistakable "M." His face was rectangular with a square jaw, and he wore medieval style, blue nobility clothes with a white cape.

"Dabura," Shin introduced.

Leon raised his eyebrow. "Dabura?" he asked, "And he is?"

"The King of Demons, a lieutenant of the Devil himself" Shin continued. "Clearly Babidi has poisoned his mind too."

"What are you talking about?" Leon asked again.

"Dabura is the Demon King. In the Realm of Demons he was marked ruler and leader," Shin explained. "His power is great, and I do not think the King would leave his throne so easily..."

"No?" Leon pursued.

"The mark of Babidi's spell," Shin said changing his attention to the "M" on Dabura's forehead. "That is the mark of the Majin Curse."

Leon began to question the validity of the people who recruited him to save the world. "A curse?" Leon asked, not enthused.

"The spell of a wizard;" Shin elaborated, "the wizard, Babidi. He must have enslaved Dabura's mind as well. Dabura was strong enough when he was King of the Demons. I fear as to how far Babidi's curse has pushed his power." Shin broke his gaze from Dabura to turn and face Leon. "It appears our day grows brighter. We will need the aide of Trunks and Kibito now, and we have not even begun to face the creature Majin Buu. I am afraid this could be very bad."

Leon began to think to himself, "In Otherworld language, Kai must translate to English as Grand Loony."

"Don't be cynical, pathetic human," Shin snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Leon asked irritably.

"I am a Kai," Shin argued, "I can read minds, you fool. If you do doubt what I'm telling you, then perhaps you'd like to go down there and ask him yourself. Never mind that he'd kill you without a second thought. If you're going to help me, Leon Datch, then you are going to trust me and believe me when I tell you that I know more about you than you do."

Leon gave up the hope of thinking to himself.

"Good," Shin taunted, "I grew tired of your weak thoughts anyway."

Leon frowned.

"Now follow my command," Shin instructed with consideration.

Back in the ravine, Dabura had come out into the desert plane, and next to him a much smaller character moved forward. It was the smaller figure from the first night they landed. He, or rather it, was yellowish in color and about two feet tall. It had little or no hair, and it somewhat resembled a bug of some kind. It had beady, green eyes and wore a blue costume much like Dabura's, but with an orange cloak rather than white. He had no "M" on his forehead, but he did have one across his belt.

"Did you get it?" the small character asked.

"Yes, Master Babidi," Spopovich said in his booming, deep voice. They showed him the vase looking jar that they had used violently against Trunks.

"This energy reading is incredible!" Babidi scratched as he looked at the energy meter on the side of the jar. "You must have drained an entire city!"

"Actually, Master," Yamu said interrupting, "It came from one man, sir."

Babidi's smile faded quickly. "What do you mean? What type of joke are you clowns trying to pull?"

"No, Master," Yamu assured, "We bring you no tricks, sir. We promise you this was gathered from one man!"

"Impossible!" Babidi screamed. "No human could generate enough power to fill this jar, not even halfway! Now, stop your lying before I destroy the both of you!"

Yamu and Spopovich visibly flinched.

"Well," Babidi continued, "It doesn't matter anyway. With this energy, Majin Buu will be revived, and no one will be left standing in his wake. Give me the jar, Slave."

Yamu hesitated, and then extended his arm forward with the jar. Instantly, a beam of purplish light hit the jar from the side. Rather than breaking, the enchanted vase flew off to the right of Yamu after being struck from his left. He jerked his hand back in surprise.

"WHAT?" Babidi screamed as his jar tumbled through the air.

Leon appeared in the path of the flying object and caught it in the air. He floated for a moment looking down at the four creatures staring at him in bewilderment.

"Babidi," Shin addressed from about thirty feet behind Yamu and Spopovich.

Yamu and Spopovich turned to face Shin along with Babidi and Dabura. Eager to miss nothing, Leon flew over to his place next to the Supreme Kai still attached to the jar.

Babidi squinted at their sight and then said, "Is that–? The Supreme Kai! Well, well, I must say it's dreadful to see you here, Supreme Kai. How are you these centuries? Worse than the last time we met I trust?"

"You haven't changed, Babidi," Shin accused.

Babidi shot a look of scorn since Shin didn't play his game. "Let me guess, you've come to stop me, right?" he asked.

Before Shin could answer, Leon spoke up. "How'd you guess?" Leon asked waving Babidi's jar in front of him.

Babidi's attention shifted. "Well, well," Babidi sighed, "quite an arrogant little man, aren't we? Tell me, Supreme Kai, where did you find this one?"

"Earth," Leon answered for himself.

"Feisty little earthling that one, eh, Supreme Kai?" Babidi asked in response to Leon's remark.

"Little?" Leon smirked, "That's funny; you must be a poet."

Babidi shrugged for a moment and then caught the insult. "Insolent brat!" Babidi accused. "I promise you before the end of the day, you'll have learned to hold your tongue." Babidi began to laugh and then finished, "Who knows? Dabura may decide to hand it to you."

"Then let's see what he's got if that's what we're here for," Leon interrupted. "I don't have all day, you know."

Babidi frowned, obviously irritated that Leon wasn't interested in the usual chit-chat. "Quite the contrary, my arrogant friend," Babidi said with a snicker, "you have all the time left in this world."

"Babidi," Supreme Kai spoke up, "this is foolish. I ask you once more to give up this ludicrous ploy and leave this place."

"Oh, what a turnover," Babidi scoffed. "But, I have a better idea, Kai. How about you tell your Earth pawn to hand over my jar, and then I think of something to do to you that would be less painful than the fate you're going to endure otherwise. Oh, I don't know. How about I just kill you both; I think that sounds reasonable. It would be far less painful than the alternative."

"Then I'm sorry it must end this way, Babidi," Shin answered.

Babidi began to laugh hysterically. "So you're serious then, are you? You truly think you can stop me?" he asked.

"This is getting boring," Leon said as he nudged Supreme Kai. "How about I just destroy this jar right now and end this?"

Shin altered his attention to Leon. "Would that work?" he thought to himself.

"Go ahead," Babidi urged. "But if you do, you must accept the consequences."

Leon and Shin's attentions flowed back to the wizard.

"That's right, my friends," he said with a grin. "Of course, if you do break the jar, all of the energy within will be released in a unified concentration. It'll blow you both to hell. And some of my men, and probably my ship, but I'll just make another jar. And it might not be such a bad idea, because then you two would be out of the way and this would be much easier. So go ahead; or just give it to me, and I'll destroy it for you."

Leon and Shin exchanged glances.

"No?" Babidi asked maniacally. "Well, what should we do then? The questions are flowing inside your tiny little brains; I can see it. But I'll tell you what, since you two are in far over your heads to begin with, I'll help you out. I'll make the decision for you."

Babidi began to summon up enough magic power to bend to his will. Slowly, he raised his hands around him, and the earth began to feel cramped. Much like the atmospheric pressure was rising, but not exactly. It was a hard feeling for Leon to place. Shin knew what was going on though. Just as slowly as he had started, Babidi likewise began to lower his arms.

"Kill them," he said mildly, "and bring me the jar."

Confused, Leon and Shin looked around. Had the wizard lost his mind? Leon and Shin both skimmed the landscape. Nothing. Leon began looking frantically for any affects of the wizard's shrewdness.

"What happened?" Leon asked. "Did it backfire?"

Shin stared at the surrounding landscape at approximately thirty feet. Shin concentrated on it for a moment and then figured it out. Using telekinesis, Shin manipulated the gravitational force of a small rock and cast it at the void in the distance. Leon wondered if Shin had lost his mind.

"No, I haven't," Shin answered with a grin.

Leon shook his head. Perhaps expecting the rock to continue to fly forward, it didn't. It traveled until it reached the thirty feet area around them and disappeared, leaving only a ripple in the air where it had vanished. It looked like it had splashed into an invisible body of water. Leon raised his eyebrow. "What the...?" Leon trailed off.

Slowly, a man began to materialize from the liquid void, the unmistakable mark of the Majin Curse upon his forehead. Then, another next to him. And another. On the other side, people began emerging near Leon. More and more people began appearing out of nowhere. Leon and Shin were backed together. As more and more people crowded out of nothing, the mass was beginning to grow. Soon, Leon and Shin were surrounded by no less than three hundred people, all marked with the same ailment. Shin didn't seem to be surprised. But, as for Leon, his focus raged around the crowd. He couldn't sense power levels, so he was relying strictly on human eyes to keep up with all of them. It was almost unbearable. Shin must have been able to see his face.

"Leon," Shin said quietly, "remember to focus. There are many of them, but we still have the upper hand. Trust me, and remember to focus on your purpose. You cannot afford to let Babidi take hold of your will."

"How do you know we can beat them?" Leon asked feeling overwhelmed.

"Don't you know them?" Babidi answered mockingly. "Take another look around, Earthling."

Leon looked through the crowd. "Wait a minute," he thought. "Are they...?"

"Yes, Leon, they are," Shin answered.

Leon looked in shock over the crowds of people. People, certainly; specifically, people of West City.

"The look on your face is priceless," Babidi said snickering. "My favorite human trait: emotion. It's so easy to mold and bend to get the desired effect. I have many favorite expressions, but my absolute favorite must be the one you bear right now," he said to Leon. "...Fear."

---

In West City, the thunderstorm continued to carry on. Few cars were moving about, and almost everyone was inside, especially after the incident at the fair grounds that morning. At Capsule Corp Mansion, no one was inside either. Rather, underside. Within the confines of the shelter, Bulma and Chi Chi and the Ox King continued to watch of news concerning the escalating turn of events.

"This morning in West City, there was a freak incident at the Annual City Fair," the news caster reported. "An attempted homicide, according to eyewitnesses, left two people injured. This is all still unconfirmed, as police are still investigating, and no hard evidence has been reported. In another shocking event, reports of missing persons have suddenly been called in all across the city. No real news on these as of yet, but we continue to monitor updates and will let you know as we get information."

The story continued, but there wasn't much to report... yet.

"Why don't they get out of their offices and follow Trunks out into the desert?" Chi Chi mellowed. "Then maybe they'd have something to talk about."

In the bedroom Bulma had led Shell to, restlessness rather than sleep flowed through the room. Shell laid thinking to herself about her situation and the outlooks of it. She began to think about the kiss they had almost shared. Her mind wandered to the rough tenderness that Trunks had induced by telling her to stay away from the fire. She wished she had kissed him. So that he would know, know that she loved him. And if he died? He would never know. And what if that was the motivation he needed to survive? She had denied him life. Was it so hard to admit? Through many years gone by, Shell would not admit to loving anyone. Not after her past experience. She had entrusted her heart to a man once. And he betrayed her, her heart, and their love. She had hated him for it. She wouldn't make the same mistake again. But she did love Trunks. And if he betrayed her too? What else would she have? No.

"NO!" Shell said out loud. Trunks would never betray her like that. Why had the thought come up? He had practically sworn his life to her. And his word? He would keep it, always. Unless thing were out of his control. Then again the thought of Trunks' death came to her. That's what it was. She was afraid of what would happen to Trunks, not their love. It made sense. But what could she do? Even if she went to him she would only be in the way. He would be better off fighting alone. No, that was Trunks talking. "I love you," she said aloud. Her mind was made up. She owed it to Trunks to let him know how she felt. She had hesitated before and wouldn't make the same mistake again. She loved him more than anything else, and was overjoyed to love him and he love her, but at the same time scared out of her mind that she should lose him. She had to go.

She snuck down the hallway silently. She paid special care to not arouse any sounds that would gather suspicion from the commotion in the living room. She eyed the door Bulma had gone into when they came in. She went to the door and entered. She followed another small corridor to arrive at a door with a keypad lock. The buttons were ceramic. That was easy. Lowering her face to the keypad, she breathed a deep breath of warm air. The foggy mist brought about fingerprints on the keypad. She studied the selected numbers for a moment. Trunks' birthday. She entered his birthday, and the door lock disengaged. She walked in and closed the door behind her. Expecting a way out, she turned to find a small workshop placed out underground. Different gadgets were lined around the room. She walked around to explore. She examined numerous small inventions but one caught her attention. It was a small white headset, designed for one ear with a small visor screen of some kind that extended over to where the eye would be. She picked it up slowly to get a closer look.

"It's a scouter," Bulma's voice informed her from behind.

Startled, Shell dropped the headset as she turned to face Bulma. The headset missed the table it had been resting on and bounced against the floor hard, breaking a part of the earpiece.

"Oh!" Shell stuttered, realizing that she had broken the item. "Mrs. Brief," she apologized, "I'm sorry... I should have–."

"Don't worry about it," Bulma comforted. "I thought you might have been awake by now," she continued casually.

Shell hesitated, wondering about Bulma's take on her breaking and entering. "But you're not–?"

"Mad?" Bulma finished. "No, of course not, sweetheart. I thought I heard you come through the kitchen, and I was wondering if you could figure out how to get into the shop. I see it wasn't difficult for you."

Shell remained speechless. After a moment, her attention again changed to the broken 'scouter' on the ground.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I said," Bulma reassured her. "In fact, why don't you help me fix it?"

Shell nodded in agreement. They sat at a nearby table for a rather long while talking as they worked on the broken headset.

"And that's how we survived Namek," Bulma finished telling her story of their once famous trip to Namek.

"Wow," Shell continued the conversation, "And, so Trunks never had to fight this Frieza guy, then?"

"No," Bulma said laughing, "Frieza was a bit before Trunks' time. And probably a good thing for Frieza too. My Trunks would have torn Frieza apart with his eyes closed."

Shell smiled. Trunks' mother was so proud of him.

"And now this new monster wants a crack at my son," Bulma taunted. "They just never learn do they? Oh well, their funeral."

Shell hesitated for a moment. She had almost forgotten her ambition. "How does this thing work?" she asked Bulma.

Bulma finished attaching a final part to the headset and attached it to her ear. "This button here," Bulma explained, "Press it, and it will begin identifying energy readings from the surrounding area. Its intensity, or how far it can reach, can be set to within a few feet up to many hundreds of miles. If a planet is small enough in circumference and density, sometimes it can be configured to broadcast and receive signals all around a planet. There are also other features on it. For instance, you can set it to scan for the largest to smallest energy readings, or smallest to largest, or if you know someone's power specifically, you can scan to track that person."

"It calculates energy levels?" Shell summarized.

"Yes, but only lower ones," Bulma instructed. "Once a person's energy reading exceeds a certain amount, the scouter will short circuit. For instance, here." Bulma pressed the button, and the scouter began to beep and produce a display across the eyepiece. "See, you're energy reading is at, hmm, that's funny. It reads you at thirty. That's strange are you nervous?"

"No, ma'am," Shell said quickly. Perhaps she had other plans, but she wasn't nervous, so she answered the question honestly. Anxiety didn't count.

"Perhaps you're just tense," Bulma concluded. "It's understandable; given circumstances and all. An average level is around twenty to twenty three. In a person's prime, anyway. But that's just a technicality, a person may have the potential energy and not know how to use it and be just as lost in battle as Trunks in the kitchen. The potential energy is generally just converted into stamina energy. Do you know much about energy science, Shell?"

"Not in the sense that the scouter reads," Shell admitted freely.

"Oh," Bulma understood, "well, be around Trunks long enough and he'll teach you about it. He's probably a better teacher than me, and judging by your potential, I think you might be able to put on a show..."

"And so how much can this one take, power-wise, I mean?" Shell replied.

"Different ones have different limits, but this particular one was a stronger model," Bulma continued to explain. "I think it can take up to around one million, and then it shorts out."

"One million what?" Shell asked interested.

"One million..." Bulma tried to answer, "Well, I really don't know. It was an alien scale, I never actually broke the method down."

"If you can figure out what the registered scale is," Shell theorized, "you could up the internal brain chip's calculator to recognize levels on a higher scale. Instead of it reading someone as a reading of two or three, it would be two or three thousand. Then you could program the readout display to show the figures in scientific notation and maybe the brain wouldn't overheat and short."

Bulma thought for a moment. "My," she said finally, "That, that would work, wouldn't it? Ingenious, Shell, I'm impressed! I don't know why I would not have thought of it before. Well, my theory on education may have exceptions then."

"What do you mean?" Shell asked humored.

"Why, until now, I thought the education system in the world had gone to hell in a hand basket," Bulma laughed. "I see there are at least some who actually learned something useful from the school systems."

Shell blushed mildly and thanked Bulma for the compliment.

"Why don't I show you some of my other potentials?" Bulma proposed, leading Shell around her shop. Bulma proceeded to march around the shop explaining all of her ideas and hopes for her potential inventions, keeping Shell close at hand. Shell was introduced to anything from new household conveniences, to upgraded skycar models. "But," Bulma said ending her tour, "I have an idea for you. Shell, tell me honestly, and if you don't want to, don't; but, how about we reconfigure that scouter to read like you explained? If we did we might be able to set the range high enough to find Trunks and monitor his fight."

Apparently, that was the magic sentence; in two senses. Evident, Shell's eyes lit up. "Sure!" she said happily, "Yeah, of course, let's get the tools and start it right now, ok?"

Bulma was happy to get Shell's mind off of Trunks' upcoming battle and onto something less stressful. "Ok," Bulma agreed, "I'll step over there to get some tools for it and be back in a second."

Shell remained standing there for a moment, but then turned to walk over to the desk where the scouter was pirched. She began to think to herself. If she could fix the scouter's limit problem, she could use it to track Trunks. Not to mention, if she could get Bulma to sway her attention from what she was doing just long enough, she could take the skycar prototype to escape and find Trunks. Shell mentally congratulated her self and physically did with a smile. Bulma returned with tools and brought a tool cart to the tableside.

"Shell, dear," Bulma offered, "would you like something to drink?"

"A soda please, ma'am," Shell replied politely.

Bulma nodded and left the shop to fetch the drinks.

Without waiting, Shell opened the scouter in the same manner Bulma had sealed it, only about ten times quicker. For a moment she studied the patterns of the wiring and the internal components of the item. "Strange," she thought to herself. The alien technology didn't make complete sense to her. She studied it a bit longer, trying to make sense of its routing. Bulma returned with two drinks; her coffee and Shell's soda.

"Thanks," Shell said without looking up. "Do you know what these parts say?" she asked Bulma.

Bulma looked at the part Shell was focusing on. "I haven't found literal translations for the markings on them yet, but I have figured out what they do," she answered. Then she began to explain the way each part functioned in the circuit and how they worked together to achieve the overall results.

"Ok, then," Shell said when Bulma had finished, "Then that would be the CPU, right?"

"I believe so," Bulma agreed unknowingly.

"Awfully funny looking," Shell said as she removed it from the board. "Do you think we could use an old CPU programmer on this thing?" she asked Bulma.

"We could try," Bulma again agreed theoretically. "But, if it doesn't accept it, then you could burn out the whole brain..."

"Then we'll have to hope that the chip is reprogrammable. You said there were different models of these things, right? Well then, it is highly possible that the chips would accept update corrections on its programming. We'll just need to modify your burner for this chip," Shell instructed.

Bulma worked on modifying the burner and computer link so that they could upload their own program into the brain. Eventually, Bulma finished and they downloaded the program from the CPU chip to Bulma's laptop. Bulma set the program display so that they could view the program itself.

"Great," Shell sighed. "How long do you think it will take to translate all of _that_?" she asked Bulma.

Bulma stared for a moment at the screen. "Hold on a second," she told Shell. Bulma trekked to a nearby cabinet and began digging through piles of program and software disks. "Got it!" she shouted triumphantly from inside the cabinet. She came back to the computer and began to install some type of translating software.

"Doesn't that only recognize known languages?" Shell questioned.

"Yes and no," Bulma half answered. "It also is programmed to study codes and recognize patterns. We could use that function to compare to words in English and see what comes up."

Shell decided it was worth a try. Bulma began the process of testing her theory and surprisingly it did translate the coding, or some of it.

"Well," Bulma said contently, "at least it deciphered some of it."

"But the rest is still guess work," Shell said not completely thrilled. "Let's see if the part we want to change is in English..."

Bulma began searching the coding for any lines pertaining to calculations. "Here," she said to Shell, pointing out on the screen where it was.

"Alright, let's change the numeric system to metric," Shell told her. "We can translate from whatever that is to English," she went on.

"What should the scale be?" Bulma asked.

"Translate what scale they used," Shell replied.

Bulma typed and the translation appeared on the screen.

"What the hell's a _karentala per ganeeter_?" Bulma asked.

"No telling," Shell said laughing to herself at Bulma's reaction. "And it doesn't really matter; it's just an alien unit of measure. Trunks' father was pure Saiyan, right?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes," Bulma answered slowly.

"But he spoke English?" Shell continued interrogating.

"Yes, so?" Bulma answered again.

"Then this scouter was not built by Saiyans," Shell concluded. "If Saiyans were conquerors, then it is most likely that they picked these up from another race they conquered."

"Oh," Bulma said in agreement, "Yes, that's probably true. Because I know Vegeta, and if he's a prime example of Saiyan intelligence, then there is no way Saiyans built these things – they don't have the patience for it."

"Ok, let's just say our scale is the weight relative to Earth in grams over the distance in meters that a person's energy can push the weighted object from their body."

"That's gonna be a huge number, Shell," Bulma informed.

"Well then, try kilograms over kilometers, and then you're scaled one thousand," Shell concluded. "Add a line to the display programming telling it to display in scientific notation relative to one times ten to the three."

They continued playing with the brain chip until they managed to get the scouter to read the same energy reading on Shell as the first time. Only now the display read, in terms of thousands, ".03".

"Perfect," Shell said to Bulma as they began reassembling the scouter. "That should do nicely, I think."

Bulma sighed. "Well, I'm going to go get something more to drink," she told Shell. "Would you like some more too?" she asked politely.

This was her chance. "Yes please, ma'am" Shell charaded.

Bulma nodded and left the room with the empty glasses. Bulma went to the kitchen and began preparing two more drinks for Shell and herself. She had to admit that she was overly impressed with Shell's abilities. In the back of her mind, she somewhat hoped Trunks would marry her. Bulma laughed in her thoughts. No, that would be cynical. If Trunks and Shell decided it was right for them, she would be happy for them to get married. But to Bulma, Shell seemed to have all the right qualities for being a decent wife. She was polite, caring, extremely intelligent (even by Bulma's standards), and, most importantly, Shell cared about and even loved Trunks. That was what Bulma was happy to see. She had been in the kitchen no more than three minutes by the time she finished getting drinks. She could hear Chi Chi and Ox King in the next room arguing with the news reporters over something. She smiled to herself as she made her way back to the shop. She entered the familiar pass code and opened the door to step in.

As she turned to face the room she began, "Shell, honey, so did you–?" The room was empty. The passageway to the streets had been opened and one of the skycars was gone. Worry struck Bulma like a concrete wall, and she dropped the two glasses. They shattered as they hit the shop floor.

"Oh, God," Bulma said out loud, "Where in hell does she think she's going?" Disregarding the broken glass, she ran over to the table where the scouter was... gone?! Her focus changed to the laptop. A word processor window was open and, in it, was a brief explanation for Shell's actions.

"Mrs. Brief, I'm really sorry that I left like this, but I knew that you wouldn't have otherwise allowed me to go. I'm sorry for taking the skycar and scouter without your permission, but I need them to find Trunks. I wish I could explain it so that you could understand, but I have to find him and tell him. I have to tell him that I love him. I'm sorry I didn't tell him before he left, but I was afraid to, and now I'm afraid that I may never see him again. I have to find him and tell him. I hope you understand, and again I'm sorry for my actions."

It was signed "Shell."

Bulma wasn't angry. Rather, worried now, not only for her son, but for her future daughter-in-law as well.

"Come back to me, you two..." she said quietly to an empty room.

---

High above West City, Shell managed to get the skycar to hover while she fitted the scouter onto her left ear. She pressed the button on the ear piece and the scouter came to life, scanning and analyzing all the life forms in West City. She played with it for a moment configuring it to search for the strongest signal possible. The indicator blinked and then beeped and indicated a point to the North. "6000." was what the display read.

"I'd say that's higher than '.022'," Shell said to herself. She shifted the skycar into the highest gear possible and raced after the energy signal to the South.

---

"Any ideas?" Leon asked as the ensuing mob of Majin citizens encircled himself and the Supreme Kai.

"Shall we take this to the air?" the Supreme Kai suggested.

After the question, Leon and Shin emerged from the ground at the same time and flew to an invisible, lofty perch some fifty feet above the ground. Leon was hoping that since the citizens of West City had such low power levels, then perhaps they couldn't fly.

"Running away already?" Babidi shouted at Shin and Leon from the ground.

"Just trying to keep them a flight's length," Leon answered sarcastically.

"Oh, alright then," Babidi said softly, "Have fun then. KILL THEM!"

At their master's command, all near, three hundred minions flew up after Shin and Leon. Immediately reacting, Shin and Leon flew in opposite directions causing the swarm of populous to diverge to about half and half. Unfortunately, in the process, Leon dropped the jar and it fell slowly towards Earth. Of course, before it touched the crusty soil, Dabura had appeared under it, caught it, and returned it to his master. Leon flew backwards defending against the oncoming attackers as best he could. The first man to reach Leon swung hard into the side of Leon's face. Leon paused momentarily, stunned at the surprising power behind the man's punch. Leon knew he was stronger than the man, but still his surprise startled him. Reflexively, Leon kicked the man in the stomach with both feet, hard. The man had a great deal of power but not like the amount it would have taken to contend with Leon's kick. The kick caused the man to be knocked backwards at a blazing speed. On the way, he hit several pursuing minions out of chase, as they tried desperately to get to him.

"Leon!" Shin shouted from another pursuit in the sky, "You must not fight them too brutally! You must defend yourself, but bear in mind they are not as strong as you. Even though they are our enemy, they are still the people we are trying to save!"

"Maybe, but the guy that decked me seemed at least ten times stronger than any average human fighter I've ever met!" Leon replied as he picked up speed to evade more oncoming fights.

"Babidi's spell boosted their power!" Shin returned the conversation. "Because of him, their able to fly and–!"

Shin was cut off from conversation by a boot to the side of his head. The impact knocked him out of flight and he plummeted to the ground. As he hit, a cloud of dust emerged from the desert floor, and his half of the pursuing army didn't seem to hesitate in flying down to continue the fight, whether Shin had even gained his footing or not.

"Supreme Kai!" Leon shouted in response, but was also cut of by the stream of attempted punches and kicks coming his way. Leon caught one of the punches in his right hand, and blocked one kick in the other hand. As another diversion, he pulled the two men he had caught in a circle and then threw, first, one man into the crowd and then spun again and released the second man in the same way. As the two human torpedoes rocketed through the crowd, people upon people were knocked away. Leon's attention returned to the crater Shin had made on his way down. He flew down to the crater hoping to give Shin some relief. As he neared the crater, many of the attackers trying desperately to get to the center circle to fight Shin, turned to come after Leon. Leon saw this and covered his head with his crossed arms and proceeded to fly head-on into the swarm headed his way.

On the ground where Shin had been thrown, the Supreme Kai had immediately regained his stance and was fighting off each man and woman as he or she managed to get within striking distance. Shin fought for several moments with mostly throws and counters doing the best he could to avoid hurting any of the people who had no idea what they were doing. Of course, that came to an abrupt end when some woman kicked him from behind hard enough to send him flying across the ground. To add to his irritation, people began climbing on to him to continue beating him as he finally hit the ground and skidded to a stop. As he looked up, he noticed Leon laying a few feet away with the equivalent multitude on him. As ten people held Leon down, one much larger – and definitely heavier – man flew down from the sky and drove his knee into Leon's gut. As Leon choked and coughed, blood erupted from deep within his mouth and he let out a short yelp.

"Leon," Shin uttered painfully amidst the punching and kicking and stomping into his back and limbs. He dropped his head into the dirt for a moment. How could he manage to beat these people without hurting them? His mind began to race for the answer.

"Supreme Kai?" Leon's voice asked in a calm clear manner. "My vote says that they can just take ten times the damage..."

Shin raised his head from the sandy floor to see the crowd over Leon began to glow white. He knew what Leon was thinking and so he too began to power up.

From Babidi's small patch of desert floor he watched, as the ground began to rumble slightly and two aggravated screams began to become more and more audible. Suddenly, there was an eruption of bodies from the piled mass that had covered Leon and the Supreme Kai. The slaves of Babidi flew in all directions away from an epicenter of pulsating energy. As the bodies rained down around him, Babidi could clearly see two fighters standing in the midst of the chaos, one with a green aura and the other with a purple aura. Before Babidi could utter a syllable, the two glowing figures disappeared and began simultaneously reappearing in different spots around the battlefield. As Babidi clutched his magic jar in worry, Dabura stepped in front of him to assure his safety. As a man regained his step from the fall, he turned to see an unhappy Leon knee him in the stomach, and as he bent forward felt the sharp pain of Leon's elbow behind his neck, and then a swift kick in the behind as the man found himself bulleting towards a cliff wall. The man hit the wall and caused it to collapse around him; he survived, but just barely. Another confused pair of minions gathered their footing in time to see the Supreme Kai fly up to their faces and disappear. They hesitated for a moment confused and then felt the imbalance of Shin's foot kicking their feet out from under them. Before they had a chance to touch the ground, he spun around again, kicking the man on his right into the man on his left. Just before momentum took hold, though, Shin grabbed the man on the left by his outstretched hand and spun him in a circle to bring him around and strike the man on the right. He flew off into the distance and Shin released the man's hand to send him flying as well. Before the dust had cleared, Shin had disappeared, and flew on to another fighter. Shin and Leon continued to clean house as they knocked out cold countless unfortunates left and right. Their rampage continued until many of the fighters that had been knocked away originally gathered their bearings on what was going on. One man came after Leon just as he had finished pummeling another person. Before this man could get to Leon, of course, Shin had stopped him in his tracks with a fist deep to the stomach. Stunned, the man watched helplessly as Shin grasped his right hand and Leon grasped his left. Shin and Leon spun around and into the air and brought their left and right feet in to kick the man in the throat. He did not get back up. The fight continued much like this until there were about twenty people still left standing. Faced with the option of facing Babidi or facing Leon and the Supreme Kai, several of the twenty remaining weren't sure which was worse. Hesitantly, they moved forward, but without much effort and the last of them were put out by either Leon or Shin. As the last of them was thrown aside, Leon and the Supreme Kai powered down and turned to face a bewildered Babidi and Dabura and slightly frightened Yamu and Spopovich. Dabura managed to keep his collectiveness, but Babidi was becoming worried.

"W-well," Babidi stuttered. "What a pleasant surprise," he then said, regaining his casualness. "I'm very glad to see that you're still in decent shape, Supreme Kai," he taunted. "After all these years, I was hoping you would manage to survive that battle." His attention changed to Leon. "And I'm very impressed with your choice of human defender, Kai," he laughed and then added, "...this time. I remember last time you recruited someone to stop me, the poor child died in the first and smallest battle. It's good to see that you've picked someone that's at least out of their diapers this time."

Leon gritted his teeth as he became impatient with the wizard's small talk.

"Impatient, are we?" Babidi asked him. "Tell me; are you that eager to die? I would have thought that after that endeavor you would probably like much more the opportunity to leave."

"You would," Leon snapped as he spit a bit of blood from his mouth onto the ground in front of him.

"Seriously, boy," Babidi replied. "I'm giving you the opportunity to leave now with your life, and I promise – you have my word – that I won't hold any grudges against you."

"It would do no good," Supreme Kai argued, "If you leave now, I can't take them on by myself and the planet would be gone before tomorrow."

"Don't count on me running away, Kai," Leon said with a smirk. "I wouldn't dream of it; and besides, he's done gone and pissed me off now..."

"Foolish," Babidi said softly, "so very foolish... Very well; Yamu, Spopovich, kill them and bring me their heads, Dabura and I are going to revive Majin Buu." He turned to walk inside the small white cone that was the entrance to his ship.

"Be ready," Shin said tensing.

"I've got the big one," Leon said readily, "I owe him a broken neck."

Yamu and Spopovich knew the wrath of their master. Without wasting any time, they powered up as much as they could and flew as fast as they could towards the waiting Shin and Leon. Just as they were within ten feet of Shin and Leon, blue streaks covered their bodies and they became frozen in the air.

"What the–?" Leon asked trailing.

On the other side of Yamu and Spopovich, none other than Trunks slowly materialized out of lines on the ground before Leon. His back was turned, his body was crouched, and both hands clenched the thin shape of an unsheathed sword in a post-slice, eight o' clock position behind him. Kibito landed behind the Supreme Kai. Slowly Trunks stood up, and then quickly sheathed his sword to the guard, pausing before sheathing the sword completely, making a trademark "metal-against–metal" sound. Yamu and Spopovich's lifeless bodies slowly began to show tiny red signs of wounds, and then altogether their bodies fell into clean-cut pieces and fell to the ground. Blood stained the desert floor where the parts lay strewn. Without a word, Babidi and Dabura had turned to face Trunks. The look was priceless in the Supreme Kai's mind. To Trunks, it seemed that Babidi and Dabura had about the same expression Frieza and King Cold had, just before the hell broke loose. Eyes twitching and mouths open, Babidi and Dabura stood transfixed on the newly arrived Trunks. Unlike the mass of disassembled flesh and blood on the ground behind him, Trunks now had Babidi and Dabura's _undivided_ attention.


	7. Chapter 7: Bellies Of The Beast

Chapter 7: Bellies Of The Beast?

"Huh?" Shell asked herself as the reading on her scouter suddenly faded. "That's weird, they were just there..." The scouter continued to read nothing for a moment, and then it flashed and began displaying negative numbers. "What the hell?" she asked out loud. She pressed the button on the headset. The scouter started scanning and tracked numerous life forms around, but not the one she had been following. "That's strange," she said contemplating. "Oh well, hope GPS can track him." She checked the scouter to get a pinpoint on where the negative reading was coming from and patched it through to the sky-car's computer navigation system. She set the autopilot and the range finder, and then she took off the scouter so that she could try to find out what was eating it.

---

Back on the desert floor, Babidi and Dabura were wondering just what to expect from their new guest. Timidly, Babidi began to walk slowly back out onto the sandy ground. Respectively, so did Dabura, but allowing himself to hide his worry much more so than Babidi.

Babidi decided to play his confident card. "So what have we here, Dabura?" he asked casting Trunks an evil grin. "Another uninvited guest; it seems to be our day for that. Tell me, young man, do you have a name?"

Trunks continued staring at the pair of villains before answering, "Yes."

"And?" Babidi urged.

Trunks stood silent.

Babidi was beginning to become angry, but before he could say anything, Shin stepped forward next to Trunks.

"We're not here to waste time," Shin answered for Trunks. "Give up your insanity with Majin Buu and leave this place; I won't ask again."

"I wouldn't have asked twice," Leon muttered under his breath.

"So you won't," Babidi said hauntingly to Shin. "Well, as you might not have guessed by now, Kai, seeing as you are obviously too dense to understand, I am telling you to GO TO HELL! Majin Buu's existence is inevitable and I will not stop until he brings me your head on a silver platter!"

"Then you may be waiting for an exceptionally long time!" Shin shouted in defense.

"Ooh, that hurt," Leon whispered to himself.

"Fine then, Kai!" Babidi compromised. "If you want me; come and get me! But in that time, I suggest you make yourself very at home here in the desert because that's as far as you'll ever make it to me!" With that, Babidi and Dabura ran back to the ship hatch, the white dome on the ground, and the white doors closed just as Shin and the others got to it.

"Curse him!" Shin shouted in disgust.

"To the heart..." Leon joked silently as he made a stabbing motion on himself.

"WOULD YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH?!?" Shin screamed at Leon without even turning around. "I can barely hear myself think, because the only thing I can hear is your incessant mental complaints!"

Leon knew better than to argue at this point.

Ignoring Trunks, Shin turned to face Leon and Kibito. "I suppose now we'll need to find a way into–."

A deafening explosion silenced Shin's speech and shook the ground like an earthquake. Irritated, Shin turned to see what the cause of it had been. Trunks stood with an outstretched hand facing a crater of what used to be the small white dome.

"Didn't he say to make ourselves at home?" Trunks asked smiling as he lifted off the ground and flew down the open shaft in the ground that he had opened. Leon followed, but Shin and Kibito stood in awe at the pure arrogance of their companions.

"Who are you people?" Shin asked no one.

Attempting to catch up, Shin and Kibito followed after Trunks and Leon.

---

A slight rumbling could be felt from deep within the ship.

"What was that?" Babidi asked Dabura softly.

"I know not, my master," was Dabura's reply.

Soon enough, they reached the lowest floor in the ship, and the elevator doors opened with a hiss. They stepped out into a dark room. In the distance, a lighted platform housed a giant pink orb.

"Dabura," Babidi instructed as he handed him the enchanted jar, "take this and begin reviving Majin Buu. I'm going to investigate that disturbance."

"Yes, Sire," Dabura resounded as he obeyed.

Babidi moved across the room to a small pedestal that bore a small, black crystal orb resting on a cushion. Summoning some of his magic skill, Babidi created a moving image inside the orb. "Persistent little brats!" he said annoyed. "You won't give up, will you?"

Dabura had finished setting up the power transfer from the jar and came across the room to stand next to his master.

"Dabura, send in some troops to keep them busy," Babidi instructed. "We're so very close, the won't stop us... WON'T!"

---

In the first floor room of Babidi's ship, four heroes stood looking around the room.

"The shaft in the center of the floor is locked," Leon said after examining it. "Sorry, Trunks, but I don't think blowing it to hell will help us here," he said sarcastically.

Trunks smiled and continued to examine the room. There was one door in the room. It didn't lead downward, as far as plain view, but it did lead out.

"Where do you think that leads?" Trunks asked anyone.

"Who knows?" Leon answered. "But we need to hurry if we're gonna keep Majin Buu from waking up."

"Surely there's a way to unlock these doors," Shin said blatantly.

Trunks walked over to the door at the side of the room. He began to draw back his fist when the Supreme Kai interrupted him.

"NO!" Shin shouted. "Don't do that! If we're not careful, we'll wind up bringing down this whole ship on us! So please, watch your killing instincts. Let's try not to destroy everything we meet."

Trunks reluctantly obeyed and walked back to the center of the room to inspect the closed shaft in the floor. Leon, not quite as swayed, decided to play the smart ass. He walked to the door Trunks had been standing at and knocked on the door plainly three times. With an innocent look, Leon turned to face his friends. However, Shin was certainly not amused. To go further, Kibito was visibly even more unimpressed, as he bore a strange face almost resembling that of constipation. Leon began to speak in his defense, but the door behind him began to reverberate noises, and he turned his attention back to the door as he jumped back. The door opened, anxiously enough, and a soldier of some sort stepped into the room. As the door closed behind him, the four heroes received the pleasure of knowing another minor adversary's purpose in life.

The short, armor clad alien began by boasting, "You have gone quite far enough. Master Babidi has asked that I personally take care of you while he revives Majin Buu. But, seeing as how it is completely unfair, I will give you the option of all of you attacking at once; it would be no problem as to whichever you decide."

Leon, shocked in the fool's idiocy, turned his head to look at his friends behind him. "This one's a piece of work," he mocked.

They silently agreed.

"What?" the alien shouted. "You dare mock me?"

"I don't dare," Leon replied. "I did."

"I don't believe this!" the alien continued to rant, "I am Superior Officer of the Guard, Pui Pui! No one talks to me like this!"

As the others backed away, Leon took his fighting stance and invited, "Well, get used to it, Pee Pee, cause it's about to get worse."

Shouting in anger, Pui Pui took flight and charged at Leon. Not that it did him much good, as Leon, apparently tired of playing with his food for that day, greeted Pui Pui's face with a side kick and watched as the alien guard flew back to where he had come and slammed into the closed metal door. The sound of his armor smashing into the doorframe resounded through the hall. Dazed, Pui Pui eventually regained his footing and glared at Leon.

"Guards!" Pui Pui shouted as the door behind him opened, and twenty more aliens, identical t Pui Pui but lower in rank, flooded into the room.

Leon's eyes darted from guard to guard wondering which one would make the mistake of attacking first.

"Why does this always happen?" Trunks asked unsheathing his sword. Shin and Kibito gathered their fighting stances as well, and then the guards rushed them.

Still holding a grudge, Pui Pui went after Leon, and they began battling around the room. Shin and Kibito wasted no time as they charged several amassed guards near the door and began beating them mercilessly. Of the guards left, they approached Trunks standing in a clearing of the fighting. Many of the guards were gritting their teeth in anticipation and tensed ready to pounce on Trunks.

Surrounded, Trunks raised his sword into a defensive position. "Ready?" Trunks asked hauntingly.

The guards noticeably flinched. With that signal, Trunks lunged forward and sliced the guard in front of him in half lengthwise. In another location of the room, Kibito grabbed a dazed guard by the arm and swung him around like a club to hit another. Once finished, he drug the man upright and used his energy to manipulate a push that knocked the guard across the room. Shin cracked a guard's armor with his elbow as he plunged it into the guard's chest. After that, an attacking guard tried to hit Shin in the back, but Shin dodged allowing the attacker to strike the dazed guard Shin had elbowed and knock him away. The guard hesitated after realizing that he had hit his own, and Shin took advantage of an outstretched arm to flip the guard over by his arm and roundhouse him in the face before he touched the ground. The guard flew into the wall with a crash. In the meantime, Leon was having fun watching Pui Pui sweat. Leon easily dodged all of his attacks and began to taunt him as they fought.

Leon laughed audibly and then mocked, "Oh come on, Pee Pee! You can slap harder than that! Here, try again."

Overly pissed and humiliated, Pui Pui paused and gathered all of his energy into a single punch. He swung hard and caught Leon in the side of the face. The momentum pushed Leon's cheek up and his head to the side. Pui Pui smiled; proud that he had shut Leon's mouth. But Leon opened his eyes from the punch, Pui Pui's fist still on the side of his face. Leon pushed back Pui Pui's fist with the force of his face. Before Pui Pui had a chance to retract his trembling fist, Leon grabbed it by the wrist and glared into Pui Pui's eyes.

"Is that it?" he muttered cynically, "It almost ticked."

Holding Pui Pui's wrist in midair, Leon began to apply pressure until he heard cracks and breaking noises. Pui Pui screamed in agony as the bones of his wrist were utterly crushed under Leon's grasp. As Leon's aura flared up around him, he held onto Pui Pui's wrist as he kicked him first in the side of the head, then flipped over and kicked him in the opposite side of the abdomen, then the side of the kneecap, then a rising knee to the stomach, and lastly Leon twisted Pui Pui's arm so that he held him upright at arm's length and performed a twist kick to sever Pui Pui's head at the neck. His head bounced off the wall with a thud and fell bloodily to the floor. Leon landed next to the fallen body.

"Does Babidi intend to do this to us all day?" he asked the Supreme Kai softly.

The sound of raking metal turned their attentions. Trunks was using the tom garment of one of the fallen guards to wipe the blood from his blade.

"I sincerely hope not," was Trunks' answer.

The shaft in the center of the room opened, interrupting their conversation. They turned their attention silently to it, and, without a word, they all flew down to the next room. The next room was identical to the last, only now the door at the side of the room was about ten feet taller.

"And we're locked in again," Leon commented as they landed.

"Babidi has apparently decided that we should fight several of his minions on each floor," the Supreme Kai concluded.

"How many floors do you think there are?" Trunks asked.

"...I don't know..." Shin answered hesitantly.

"But will that give us enough time, Master?" Kibito questioned.

Shin didn't answer at first. "I, I don't know..." was his eventual answer.

Without warning, the lights suddenly snapped off.

"Damn," Leon said in the darkness. "Wizard forgot to pay his electric bill! Our luck."

Trunks calmed himself, trying to feel the room around him. Nothing. Babidi's magic field must inhibit the sense of power levels. But then, what was that on that night earlier in the week he had felt. By the way the Supreme Kai had put it, Trunks' conclusion was that most likely the evil he had felt was Buu's energy rebuilding, before Babidi cast his spell to block sensitivity. That made sense, but he had no time right now to ponder questions, he needed to get to the bottom of things, literally.

"What does that crazy wizard think he's doing?" Shin asked openly.

The answer came in the form of the familiar sound of a mechanical door opening. No lights, only sound. All four heroes stood silently in the darkness trying to hear anything that gave clue to their predicament. In the pitch black room, the only audible sound that could be made out was the distinct sound of a heartbeat. They were not alone, and, judging by the volume of the heartbeat, they were not the largest things in the room either. The floor lightly vibrated as something large, but silent in movement, entered the room and came towards them. All muscles tensed as they had no idea what to expect. They felt empty wind flow past their bodies and then, nothing. There was no sound except for that accursed heartbeat. Suddenly, the room glowed with a dark bluish color, and everyone turned to see Trunks, his aura glowing blue in the darkness. The light didn't fill the entire room, and it really didn't even fill half of it, but it was enough to see around themselves.

"Who are you?" Trunks asked the darkness. "Show yourself."

There was silence as the others looked on.

Hesitantly, a low, heavily deep voice answered, "Why should I?"

"Because I asked nicely," Trunks replied.

"Hmm," grumbled the darkness, "I suppose it does make little consequence... I am Yakon."

"You'll forgive me if I don't remember your face?" Trunks half asked.

"Of course," Yakon answered, "Especially since you won't live to tell anyone."

"Is that so?" Trunks played along. "And you have to have the lights off to do that?"

"My apologies," Yakon played back, "Sunlight gives me terrible sunburn."

"I'm almost sorry to hear that," Trunks continued, "but you do know that the light that was in the room was artificial, right?"

"Once again, my apologies," Yakon explained, "Even artificial sunlight bothers me. I'm sorry that you can't see so that you could watch me kill you.

"Oh that's fine," Trunks said softly, "Although, I hate to tell you that won't be happening today."

"And what's going to stop it?" Yakon asked as a gust of horridly odorous wind sucked away Trunks' aura and darkness fell once more on the room. "Mmm, that was quite good," he said chuckling.

"Supreme Kai, can you talk to others telepathically?" Trunks asked Shin silently.

Trunks could feel Shin flinch in the darkness. "Well, yes. Yes, I can," he mentally answered back.

Trunks thought again, "Good, then tell the others to close their eyes and don't open them until I say to."

"What are you...?" was the reply, but then Supreme Kai agreed. Mentally, Shin told Kibito and Leon to join him in closing their eyes.

"So you like that?" Trunks asked Yakon.

"Oh, yes, you're energy was quite an appetizer; I think I'll have more," Yakon bribed.

"Then have it," Trunks said grimly in the darkness. Blindly, Trunks raised his open palms to his face and spread his fingers in front of his eyes. Summoning up energy for the attack, Trunks released it, screaming, "SOLAR FLARE!" Trunks glowed white, and bright sunlight emitted from his body and filled the room. However, nothing could be seen now, because the room had gone from one blinding extreme to the other. It had changed from darkness and void, to overwhelmingly bright, white light. Even with their eyes closed, Shin, Kibito, and Leon could all feel their pupils close behind their eyelids. Then, after about seven seconds of blinding light, they could see darkness return through their eyelids and could feel their pupils return to an open position.

"You can open your eyes now," Trunks' voice echoed quietly through the room.

They did slowly open their eyes, but to no visibility. Darkness remained and the only thing that had changed was that the heartbeat had been replaced by the stench of melted and still burning flesh.

"Oh, man," Leon coughed in response to the smell.

"Brilliant technique!" Kibito's excited voice expelled in the darkness.

"Quite brilliant," Shin agreed. "Very well done, Trunks."

The sound of the shaft opening filled the room and the lights slowly flickered back on. They left the clump of melted and rotting flesh dripping from the ceiling from where it fell. Apparently the monster had been on the ceiling, but now its remains occupied the space between the ceiling and floor as its remains oozed to the floor as slime.

---

"What?!" shouted Babidi. "How did they manage to get past my Elite Soldiers, Pui Pui, and Yakon? This is unbelievable!"

Dabura joined Babidi as he glared into his orb.

"If those brats break through, the Supreme Kai will stop Majin Buu from hatching! This can't happen!" Babidi screamed hysterically.

"That will not happen, Master," Dabura answered.

"But the guards have no chance of stopping them, Dabura. There's no one else!" Babidi continued to rant.

"I assure you, Sire, I shall exterminate them all personally," Dabura boasted as he turned to head for another elevator.

"B-but, Dabura," Babidi whined sheepishly, "who will be my guard while you're gone?"

"There will be no need, Master," Dabura said as he boarded the elevator. "Although, if it would be no burden to you, Sire, I would be thankful if you could send me to a favorable fighting environment..."

"Oh..." Babidi hissed as the elevator closed and departed, "Yes, of course..."

---

Trunks and the others descended into the once again empty room.

"Isn't this becoming a little monotonous?" Trunks asked as he touched the floor.

"Indeed it is," the Supreme Kai agreed, "but I feel that we are nearing the end of Babidi's playhouse."

"I just hope the wait is short this time, Leon added. "We don't have all day to fight lackeys."

"Quite right," Shin affirmed with a slight grin. It pleased him to see that Leon and himself were finally on congruent terms.

"Do you think I should knock again?" Leon asked everyone.

"Why not?" Shin said giving in.

Before Leon took a step, the doors gave a noise and began opening. As the doorway became open, Dabura slowly walked through and into the room facing them. The doors slowly closed behind him. Silence dictated the room.

"You have all gone far enough," Dabura's deep voice resounded. "I must say that I am quite impressed that a Kai, his guard, and two humans have made it all the way down here. I don't know how you managed to survive thus far, but I am sad to report to you that your progress has ended."

Leon turned halfway to face his comrades. Among the empty faces, Trunks shook his head. Disagreeing with the warning, Leon flew towards Dabura, hoping to get the upper hand. As Leon tried for a flying kick, Dabura dodged and brought his knee up into Leon's stomach, hard. With the breath knocked out of him, Leon froze in midair until Dabura brought his arm around to back arm Leon back to the feet of his companions. Trunks and Kibito knelt to check their friend.

He's kinda fast," Leon coughed as his breath returned.

"Dabura," Shin reasoned, "you do know that you don't have to do this. You don't have to contribute to Babidi's madness. Help us! Let us be sensible and settle this without fighting! Don't you see that if Majin Buu is revived it will mean the end of all life as you and I know it? Do you think that Babidi will have any further use for you after his plan is carried out? He'll destroy you, Dabura! Just as he will destroy everything else!"

"Nonsense, you fool!" Dabura challenged. "I am Babidi's servant and chief body guard. He will need me in case Majin Buu rebels!"

"And you honestly think you would stand a chance against the most powerful evil this universe has ever known?" the Supreme Kai asked softly. "Majin Buu would destroy you as though you were a small child. And you master is too blind to see that he is walking into a trap! Majin Buu cannot be controlled! I was there the last time he was set free and I watched him rebel! Because of that, if he is set free, Buu would destroy us all!"

"ENOUGH!!!" Dabura shouted in rage. "I will shut your mouth with my fist!" he screamed as he flew towards Shin.

Preparing for the impact, Shin took a defensive stance, but Trunks moved into the way. Catching Dabura's fist out of the air, the two remained still for a moment as Dabura marveled at Trunks' strength.

Turning his attention, Trunks shouted, "Supreme Kai! You and the others quickly blast that door and take the elevator down to Babidi's Keep. We're close now, and you may be able to stop Majin Buu, so go–!"

Trunks' instructions were replaced with a grunt as Dabura broke free and punched Trunks in the side of the head. However, Shin and Kibito were already on their way to the door, and Leon stood between Dabura and the door he had to block. As Shin prepared a beam to fire into the door, the colors of the room began to change to dark and light shades of red, like fire. Shin released the energy beam, but it traveled through the red coloring and never touched the door as it disappeared slowly from sight. When all was finished, they found themselves on a plateau in the middle of a lava-scarred desert. A wasteland of fire and rock engulfed the land as far as they could see. Shin and Kibito turned to see Leon still facing Dabura, and Trunks regaining his footing behind them. Dabura smiled hauntingly and gave out a loud, maniacal laugh.

"Where the hell are we?" Leon asked looking around.

"Why, you've answered yourself!" Dabura answered calming his laugh. "You're in hell now. Welcome to my nightmare."

"But how'd–?" Leon began confused.

"Thanks to my master's black magic, we have all been relocated to an ideal fighting environment," Dabura explained. "After all, we wouldn't want to hinder Majin Buu's awakening with all our fighting, now would we? So now the only question left is who wants to die first?" He brought his hands up in front of himself and closed his eyes in a meditative stance. Slowly, a sword began to materialize in his hands. "I've noticed that there are four of you and only one of me, so I thought that this might make it more interesting. It's been a long time since I've used the Demon Sword, but the skill is still there," he explained as he began twirling his sword impressively. "Or, since you're all unarmed, I could just fight that one kid with the sword..."

Leon jumped backwards away from Dabura to join in close with Shin and Kibito.

"What?" Dabura asked in surprise. Then, he could sense it. Dabura spun around quickly and brought his sword up horizontally to block a vertical attack from another sword aimed apparently for the M on his forehead. Trunks had drawn his sword as well, and was ready for fencing lessons.

From his flying position, Trunks smiled and said grimly, "I'm game."


	8. Chapter 8: Beginning Of The End

Chapter 8: Beginning Of The End

"Where could they have gone?" Shell asked herself quietly. Her skycar circled the desert sky scanning the surface for anything unusual. Finally concluding that apparently there was nothing wrong with the scouter, she decided to try it again. She slipped the earpiece over her ear and pressed the display button. Still it showed varying negative numbers. "Shoot!" she thought to herself, "I've tried everything I know and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this thing." She looked up and peered out of the window of the skycar. Rain was beginning to fall. Even though it was still daytime, the clouds above and mist of rain created a scene of darkness across the desert. "This is getting me nowhere," she said aloud. "If the scanners don't pick up anything, I'm sure not going to be able to see from up here." She looked back at the scouter on the panel next to her. "I wonder..." she whispered. Picking the scouter back up, she put it on and pressed the display button. Again it showed her negative power readings. She set it to scan for the smallest power reading. It began to calculate, hesitating for a moment. When the final figure came into display, it read -15,000. "Negative fifteen million...?" Shell muttered in disbelief. "What does that mean?" After another split second, the GPS tracking systems in the skycar displayed the coordinates of the epicenter of the power reading. "Curiosity killed the cat," Shell said in response to the skycar's computer navigating screen. "And that looks like a winner to me..." She locked in the autopilot to fly the skycar to that location.

---

"I'm impressed," Trunks remarked. "I'm glad to finally meet someone who can almost fight with a sword."

Insulted, Dabura shouted as he pushed his sword against Trunks' until Trunks gave way and backed off landing several feet away from Dabura. Calming himself, Dabura repositioned his smile and took a fighting stance facing Trunks. "You're quite a confident little boy," Dabura smirked. "I've noticed that overconfidence seems to be the problem with the teenaged world these days."

"Not overconfidence," Trunks argued as he too took his fighting stance, "Sincerity."

Trunks' smile faded, and he took flight charging at Dabura, sword drawn and intentions fixed.

As the fencing battle ensued, Leon, Shin, and Kibito looked on. As Trunks neared Dabura, he brought his sword around for a horizontal slice. Dabura blocked and attempted a counterattack by slicing diagonally left-up, but Trunks dodged. Consequently, the battle continued in much the same manner.

"Come on," Leon insisted, "shouldn't we help?"

Shocked at Trunks' skill and power, Kibito hesitantly stated, "Amazing, Master! Where would an earthling learn to achieve this type of power!? Sire, if you are sensing the same power that I feel now, then…"

"...Then Trunks is actually more powerful than you and I," Shin finished. "Yes. Yes, I know, Kibito," Shin continued, his face noticeably becoming more cheerful.

"Hello? Kai People?" Leon resounded. "Don't you think we should give him a hand?"

"I don't think so," Shin answered softly, "Rather, perhaps we should give Dabura a hand. Look at him. Trunks is clearly not even breaking a sweat. And I can feel that Dabura's energy is slowly being consumed. Trunks has this fight! Truly remarkable!"

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Kibito asked his master.

"No, Kibito, I haven't," Shin answered. "But this fight was most unexpected and somewhat ironic," Shin said grinning.

"What do you mean?" Leon asked confused.

"Well," Shin illuminated, "I find it curious that Fate would pit the King of Saiyans against the King of Demons. It is surely a battle that doesn't disappoint."

Leon turned his attention back to the fight. Trunks was a king?

"I think this is an interesting window of opportunity," Shin mentioned.

Leon and Kibito both looked at him curiously.

"Since Trunks obviously doesn't need our help in this fight, I suggest that we attempt to find a way out of here and stop Babidi while Trunks battles his only bodyguard," Shin elaborated.

Meanwhile, Trunks and Dabura found Fate to be a little less humorous. As blades clashed, the two warriors battled through hell's fury. Dabura swung his blade at Trunks' head, but was blocked and knocked backwards by Trunks' counterattack by knee. Dabura regained his balance, and the two paused momentarily to fly stationary before one another.

Dabura gave a slight laugh and through deep breaths coughed, "Well, well, I would never have guessed that a mere human boy would possess this kind of talent. Tell me, where on Earth did you learn to fight like this?"

Trunks hesitated for a moment and then spoke. "Maybe it's unfair that I haven't warned you," Trunks said with a familiar look, "You don't have a chance in hell, or anywhere else for that matter. So trust me, it would be in your best interest to give up now." With that, Trunks sheathed his sword.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dabura boomed. "I don't have a chance? Clearly all this fighting has deterred your thought process. Get out your sword and fight me, coward!"

Trunks floated motionless.

"Don't you ignore me, you, you little bastard!" Dabura shouted but still received no acknowledgement. "Fine then, but enjoy this!" With that, Dabura lunged forward and fired an immense energy beam from his mouth straight towards Trunks.

As a medium sized, red energy beam closed in on Trunks, he retaliated by bringing both hands up to his forehead and creating one of his master's favorite energy attacks. Once complete, Trunks shouted as he brought his hands forward releasing and equally sized, blue beam into the oncoming red one. As the two beams collided, a power struggle immediately followed. Unfortunately for Dabura, he had not expected Trunks to be able to hold off the energy beam so easily, and so fired it from his mouth. Now Dabura was straining to keep his beam alive while at the same time he was unable to breathe. Trunks smiled at the predicament and began adding power to his beam to push it forward and through Dabura's. Soon, Trunks' beam would be in Dabura's mouth, or Dabura would be forced to close his mouth and take the attack in the face. Not ready to give in, Dabura formed another beam in his left hand and fired it as a diversion. Unimpressed, Trunks simply parted his hands and kept one hand in check with each of Dabura's beams.

"That's the best you can do, isn't it?" Trunks asked. "I was afraid of that." With that, Trunks suddenly powered up dramatically, and his aura gathered around him. Giving his beams more energy, Trunks pushed his attacks forward with great ease and brought them right up to Dabura before detonating them. The explosion sent Dabura flying and caught everyone's attention.

Leon, Shin, and Kibito all turned to witness the massive bluish explosion in the air above them. Through the light blue brightness, the figure of a Demon King came hurtling away and towards the fiery terrain. As Dabura impacted a lake of fire, the others searched the sky for Trunks. As the air cleared, they were slowly able to make out the shape of Trunks on the fiery, red skyline. Immediately, Trunks began to fall from the sky and fly towards his friends

"You okay?" Leon asked as Trunks landed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he remarked. "Where's Dabura?"

"Cast into a lake of fire," Leon answered cynically.

"Ironic that he should suffer the fate of drowning in his own flames," Shin commented.

Trunks closed his eyes and searched for a moment. "He's not dead," he stated after a few moments.

"Yeah, I feel it too," Leon agreed.

Trunks and Leon turned to face the edge of the plateau. As they watched intently, Shin and Kibito slowly joined. Inevitably, Dabura slowly floated up out of the fire encased in an energy shield. Scarred, burned, and visibly irritated, he landed at the edge of the plateau facing the four comrades. Parts of his clothing were ripped and charred; his cape in particular had a noticeably sized piece missing from it.

"I will not be beaten by a mere child..." Dabura sneered through gritted teeth and deep breaths. "I have no idea how a pitiful little human boy managed to get your kind of power, but I promise you that I will not be beaten so easily."

"Looks like it's too late," Leon chimed.

Outraged, Dabura began gathering as much energy as possible. As he powered up to his maximum, the ground began to quake under his stress, and the fires surrounding them seemed suddenly intensified by his screams. Realizing that Dabura's power was becoming increasingly matched with his own, Trunks began to summon up energy of his own. However, Dabura was already finished before Trunks had begun. Dabura flew at Trunks hitting him hard in the face. The impact knocked Trunks across the lake and into a mountain on a nearby landmass. Without hesitation, Dabura's attention then turned to Leon and the others. Stunned by Trunks' loss, Leon was too slow to counter Dabura as he grabbed Leon by the side of the face and drug him face first along the ground for several yards. Defensively, Shin and Kibito jumped back expecting their upcoming attacks. Dabura turned to see them take their defensive stances, but paid little attention. He flew at them both, but disappeared from their sight and returned behind them. A deep knee jab to the center of the back sent a stunned Kibito upwards. Meanwhile Dabura immediately grabbed Shin, slammed him into the ground by his face, pulled him back up by his feet, and spun him around to use as a club to hit Kibito when he fell back from the sky. Together, Shin and Kibito flew across the plateau digging into a hill rise. After removing himself from the earth, Leon retaliated by powering up and charging towards Dabura. As he neared, he extended his foot in preparation for a flying kick. Unfortunately, Dabura had felt the attack coming, and disappeared from sight just as Leon closed on his last position. Amazed at Dabura's speed, Leon landed his flying kick and turned to greet Dabura's fist. Dabura struck hard against Leon's face in a downward motion, causing Leon to be knocked downward, rather than backwards. After slamming into the ground, Leon's anger, as well as his aura, flared, and he bounced off the ground and back up to uppercut Dabura in the chin. Leon was proud with his direct blow, but it suddenly occurred to him, through Dabura's unflinching stature, that the attack had actually hurt his fist more than Dabura's chin. Unamused, Dabura slapped Leon hard on his left cheek. The impact knocked Leon's face sharply to the side. Then he realized Dabura wasn't trying!

"He just didn't," Leon said angrily through gritted teeth. As Leon's face was red with anger, his temper rose again until his power was at maximum. As Leon screamed, he brought his knee up hard into Dabura's groin. As Dabura visibly and dramatically flinched downward to a standing fetal position, Leon edged closely to his ear. "Did you feel that one, asshole?" Leon asked with a cynical, red-faced grin. Visibly pissed, Dabura grabbed Leon by the throat and held him off the ground. Clinching Dabura's hands, Leon watched as Dabura drew back his fist and then brought it crashing forward. Leon didn't feel the fall, but as he flew through the air he managed to utter, "Guess he did…"

As Shin and Kibito helped one another out of the hillside, Leon skidded and rolled across the landscape several yards away.

"Kibito, go heal him," Shin ordered between breaths.

Silently, Kibito obeyed and flew over to Leon's landing trench.

Shin turned his attention to Dabura and began to power up as far as he could push himself. As Shin traced energy levels, he could feel that he had a small edge on Dabura's power, but not considerably. Ready to begin to test his power, something he hadn't done for centuries, Shin charged Dabura. Seeing this, Dabura mirrored and flew towards his opponent. As the two combatants met, a concussion wave rippled through the air away from their epicenter of fighting. Practically equal, Shin and Dabura swapped swings, blows, and blocks for several moments.

"You won't win!" Shin shouted through the barrage of punches and kicks.

"Oh, stop it, your intimidation tickles!" Dabura yelled back.

"Fine then, have it your way!" Shin screamed as he finished pushing Dabura off long enough to gather an energy attack and fire it at point blank. As the immense, purple explosion rocked the landscape and shattered the ground he was standing on, Shin held his hands in a lasting attack position until the dust cleared. Dabura stood in place, his arms crossed over his face and upper body in a blocking stance. More of his clothing appeared charred and burned, and all that remained of his cape was about ten inches.

"You look awful," Shin said softly with a grin.

In response, Dabura threw out his arms revealing another blast from his mouth. Unprepared, Shin took the blast in the face and flew into a nearby rock wall. As the Supreme Kai remained embedded in the wall, Dabura again summoned the use of his Demon Sword as it materialized back into his right hand.

"Farewell, Elder Kai," Dabura declared as he flew towards Shin, prepared to impale him. As he neared Shin, Dabura brought the sword forward at length to horizontally impale Shin and nail him to the wall. But, just as the Supreme Kai was about to greet a sharp end, Dabura's blade was pinned to the ground and ran between Shin's legs into the rock by another blade.

"Not today," was Trunks' answer. From above, Trunks held his sword to the ground hard, hoping to keep Dabura's from coming up and giving the Supreme Kai a splitting sense of pain. Shin regained his bearings on things and immediately moved away from the wall of rock. Seeing this, Trunks released his pressure on Dabura's blade, spun out of the air to the ground, and brought his sword into a backhanded swing hoping to sever Dabura's head. But before Trunks could complete his combination, Dabura had brought his sword up vertically cutting the rock wall in half and over his shoulder to block Trunks' attack from behind. The wall crumbled apart in front of him.

"Very good," Trunks complemented

A grunt followed by a horizontal swing that Trunks jumped away from was Dabura's only reply. As Trunks stood before Dabura, sword drawn and ready to continue, the Supreme Kai landed to Dabura's right, Leon to his left, and Kibito to his rear. All four took offensive fighting positions.

"This fight is over," the Supreme Kai enlightened Dabura. "Do you surrender?"

Dabura looked around. He could sense each fighter gathering energy for an attack. Trunks tightened his grip on his sword. This fight was over. Dabura could not win. He lowered his guard and dematerialized his sword. Had he bought his master enough time? Soon enough, they would all find out.

---

"Dabura!" Babidi screeched from back inside his ship. He had been watching intently over the battle through his crystal orb. So intently in fact that he had not noticed the energy meter monitoring Majin Buu's revival progress. "Are you crazy, Dabura? What do you think you're doing?" he continued to shout. "If you would just hold out a little longer the energy drained from those witless brats' fighting would be enough to..." A steady rumbling began to shake the room. Slowly, that rumbling began to shake throughout the entire ship as well. "What in the–?" Babidi stuttered. He turned to see the large, pinkish orb glowing vividly. The power meter had malfunctioned from the immense energy output and broken apart. "Oh my," Babidi said softly, "He's back…"

---

"Earthquake?" Shell shouted. "What the hell? There's no fault line around here!" Nonetheless, the desert floor was still rumbling and cracking as if a fault had existed. Frantic, Shell jabbed at all the controls in the skycar, hoping to get off the ground before anything worse than rumbling happened. In less time than you would expect in a dramatic situation, the skycar hummed to life and began gaining altitude. Hovering safely fifty feet above the desert floor, Shell watched as the rumbling visibly increased and cliff sides and plateaus began collapsing and breaking apart. It was as if the desert itself was preparing to break apart openly and erupt whatever catalyst from therein. As a huge crack divided the ravine Shell had landed in earlier, the shiny white metal of a space ship, blackened at one end from Trunks' entry, began to show more and more vividly. Whatever was in that ship was preparing to surface, and Shell knew more than she wanted to about the monster within the chasm of rock and metal. She watched more intently as the ship began to break apart and collapse on itself. "Oh shit!" Shell screamed as she piloted the skycar to an area in a canyon behind a thick rocky wall. She escaped just as the massive explosion obliterated the remains of the tattered ship and created a new crater on the once flat desert floor. The only question left in her mind was whether or not Trunks and the others had been inside. As the debris and dust began to subside enough to fly through, she decided to return and investigate.

---

As Trunks, Leon, Shin, and Kibito all prepared to attack Dabura, the Demon King simply stood motionless, knowing he had no way out. But at the mount of anticipation, the fiery terrain began to slowly melt away. The red skyline, rocky floor, and lava seas all dissipated to reveal a familiar scene. They were all back on the desert floor.

"That's different," Leon said softly to himself.

"Why are we back here?" Trunks asked everyone. "And moreover, why is there a crater where Babidi's ship used to be?"

The Supreme Kai gazed at the gaping hole in the sands with a look of petrification and horror. "Oh no!" Shin whimpered. "It's over…"

Dabura erupted with a bellowing laugh. "YOU FOOLS!" he boomed. "Did you honestly think that you would succeed in stopping Majin Buu's revival? It _is_ over, Kai, and this time for good!"

"That's a bad thing, isn't it?" Leon asked Shin sarcastically.

Shin dropped to his knees in the sands. Had they really come so far only to fail? "I… I sincerely had hoped we would've had just enough time," he whispered.

"The agony of inevitability," Dabura taunted, "You should have known you would fail, Kai. You should have foreseen it. And now–!" Dabura gave a loud grunt as Trunks' knee impaled his gut.

"Go take a nap," Trunks said as he spun around in the air to axe kick Dabura into the ground. The impact caused Dabura to bounce back up into the air, but Trunks was already up above him. Using adjoined fists, Trunks spiked Dabura back down to the ground, and the Demon King landed in a throne of scrap metal. Trunks landed and walked back over to where the others stood around the Supreme Kai.

"Master," Kibito insisted, "perhaps it is not completely hopeless…"

"What hope do you think we have?" Shin all but shouted. "None of us have the strength to fight Majin Buu, not even Trunks! And even if he did, Majin Buu can't be destroyed! How do you beat something that cannot die?!"

"Why can't he die?" Leon asked.

Shin flinched in irritation. "Because you can't kill him!"

Leon scratched his head in confusion. "Okay, maybe you're not understanding me–," he began.

"I can read your short termed little brain patterns! Of course I understand what you mean! I'm plainly saying that Majin Buu cannot be destroyed! I don't know how to kill him; if I did, then it would have been advantageous for me to do it millennia ago!" Shin shouted.

They all lowered their heads.

"I'm truly sorry," Shin apologized. "I shouldn't yell, but I'm even sorrier that I failed. Not only have I failed my forbearers, but now I have failed even this planet and the entire universe. I cannot express to you all my regret."

"You have done all that was within your power to do, Master," Kibito reassured.

Shin gave a slight grin. "Thank you, Kibito. Even in the hour of my ultimate failure, you still stand beside me. It's an honor to have been your master, Noble Servant."

"What the hell are we all saying goodbye for?" Leon interrupted. "It's not over yet!"

"I'm sorry, Leon," Shin replied. "We failed, no, I failed you; and I am truly sorry. But we–."

"It's not over yet, and I'm not giving up!" Leon screamed. "This may all be some big misfortune for you, but this is my home! And this is Trunks' home! And I for one am not giving up until Majin Buu gets his ass out here and tells me that it's over!"

Trunks looked around. Leon had a point. There was no sign of Majin Buu. Perhaps he had been blown up in the explosion of Babidi's ship. Though something felt different. Then, Trunks could put a description to it. The energy barrier was gone. He could now sense everything. The last time he was in this desert everything had been blind to him, but now he could see everything without looking at it. Leon's life force, Shin's, Kibito's all of them were vibrant to his senses now. Even what was left of Dabura's, and somewhere below them he could even feel what must have been Babidi. But there was a weird twisted feeling to the surrounding. Like something tying a knot with their aura. "Oh no!" Trunks thought to himself.

"Yes, Trunks," Shin said aloud. "That is it. That is the essence of the creature Majin Buu."

It was the same feeling he had gotten that night flying Shell home. Only now it was much stronger and denser than ever before. Trunks didn't know exactly how far he could push his power, but he did know that in his current state there would be no way for him to match a power level like that.

"Now that you've felt it, Trunks, do you understand why we cannot win," Shin asked.

Trunks continued to search his senses for a moment.

"You're not the Supreme Kai," Leon said quietly, but loud enough for them to hear. "You're on the ground quivering and hiding like a baby. I think the only reason you can't beat Majin Buu is because you don't have the balls to try."

"Silence, you desecrating imbecile!" Kibito shouted in Shin's defense. "If you had a brain the size of pea you would understand that what you are suggesting is nothing more than mass suicide!"

"Kibito, it's okay," Shin restrained. "It's not his fault. He just hasn't seen it before."

"Of course I've seen a couple of pansies," Leon retaliated. "I'm arguing with two right now!"

As the argument intensified, Trunks thought over the past few hours and how everything had changed. He recalled all that Kibito had told him of the tasks at hand and how… Wait a minute.

"Excuse me," Trunks said interrupting the ensuing argument. They still continued to argue. Trunks charged a small energy ball and launched it at a nearby rock causing a rather large and loud explosion.

Leon and Kibito ceased their argument to look at Trunks.

"Thank you," Trunks said, satisfied with attention. "No offense to either of you, but how are we going to stand a chance against Majin Buu if we can't even get past one another?"

They all noticeably relaxed, and even Shin turned from his sitting position to listen.

"Why can't we beat Majin Buu? Because we just can't? This entire day, we have been faced by enemy after enemy who has told us that we can't win, and that they have never lost a fight. And every time, we overcame them. So I have just one logical question for you all. If the enemy has been wrong time after time after time today, then why do we still believe them? Supreme Kai, I understand your point. You have not only witnessed the power of Majin Buu before, but you've also fought it. But I can also understand Leon's point of view as well. I don't want to see the Earth or its people killed. Nor do I want to stand by and watch the rest of the universe fall victim to the Earth's fate. So if attacking head-on is suicide, what other options do we have?"

Shin had regained his footing, but still they all remained silent.

"Look, I mean, there's gotta be something we can do," Trunks began. "Kibito, when we were flying to this place, and Supreme Kai and Leon's life forces fell from our senses, what did you mean when you said that the Supreme Kai might have went somewhere?"

"You mean the Kai Planet?" Kibito spoke up.

"Why would he have gone there?" Leon asked.

"…For the blade…" Shin muttered. "Of course. But none have been able to wield it since…" Shin looked up at Trunks.

"Would this Saiyan have the capacity to wield such a weapon," Kibito asked his master.

"You mean a sword?" Leon inquired. "Of course! Was everyone brain dead when he was fighting Dabura? His chances of wielding any sword you could think of would be ten thousand times better than ours! So don't you think he's our best chance?"

Shin remained silent for a moment, studying the situation. Would Trunks really be able to wield a weapon made, used, and kept exclusively by the Elder Kai? Not even the Supreme Kai himself had been able to remove the sword from its mountainous pedestal. But this seemed to be the only choice they had. "Then we must do what we must," Shin finally said aloud.

The others' expressions lifted.

"Kibito," the Supreme Kai instructed, "this will be a request unlike any I have ever given to you. You may refuse this order at your own will, and I would not be able to hold it against you. I'm asking that you stay behind with Leon, and that the two of you do your best to avert Majin Buu's attention away from innocents until Trunks and I return with the Z Sword. Would you do this?"

"Master, I would gladly take this request with more respect and valor than I have ever shown in any I have taken before," Kibito answered nobly.

"And, Leon, would you take this great responsibility with Kibito?" Shin continued.

"Beats sitting on our asses crying," Leon answered.

They all looked at him.

"I mean, yeah, I will," Leon repeated.

"Then Trunks, if you are ready, we shall go; time is of the essence, and, as usual, it is against us," Shin finished.

Trunks removed his sheathed sword and walked towards Leon with it. "Leon, please be careful until I get back, okay?" Trunks requested handing Leon his weapon.

"Okay, but… Trunks, I can't take your sword, man. I mean I can't use it as near as well as you can," Leon resisted.

"I want you to take this blade," Trunks instructed, "and promise me that you will do two things with it. Promise me that you will use this blade to protect yourself, our families, and especially Shell. And also promise me that when you see Shell, you will tell her that I love her very much, and I will see her very soon. Be careful, my friend, and good luck."

Leon took the sword respectfully, Trunks walked over to stand next to the Supreme Kai.

"Kibito," the Supreme Kai said before they left, "thank you for your bravery, loyalty, and most of all your friendship. May Fate keep you safe."

Kibito bowed his head.

"Trunks, put your hand on my shoulder, and we shall begin our journey," Shin instructed.

Trunks did as he was told, and quietly he and Shin disappeared from the desert floor.


	9. Chapter 9: A Path Divided

Chapter 9: A Path Divided

"So now what?" Leon asked Kibito as they stood alone on the desert floor.

"I suppose we should find Majin Buu and avert his attention from innocents," Kibito suggested.

They looked around at the cluttered desert floor. Scattered around the epicenter of the crater lay pieces of metal and rock. The center of the crater itself was more of a trench, leading to a blackened bottom.

"How deep do you think it is?" Leon asked peering into the chasm.

Kibito didn't answer.

"Babidi's ship must have exploded from the amount of power coming from Buu," Leon deduced. "So I wonder where they are now."

The steady hum of an engine became increasingly audible. Leon and Kibito both directed their attention skyward. A skycar slowly came into view and began to attempt a landing nearby.

"Who the hell is that?" Leon asked himself.

As the skycar lowered and neared the ground, the thrust of the engine began to blow sand and dirt away from its landing area. Then, shortly after touching down, the engine's hum began to slow and fade into nothing. Leon and Kibito waited anxiously to see who could possibly have a reason to be out in the desert at the worst possible time. As the cockpit door opened, Shell slowly emerged.

"Oh hi, Leon," she greeted as she got out. She reached back in to retrieve her scouter. She turned around to face Leon and Kibito, but grew a frown. "Where's Trunks?" she asked softly.

Hesitantly, Leon and Kibito exchanged glances.

"Well, he went with the Shin to get a sword to kill Majin Buu with," Leon answered uneasily.

"…Then, he isn't here," Shell said frowning.

Leon shook his head. Then, after a steady pause, Leon attempted to relay Trunks' message. "Shell, Trunks did leave a message for you though before he left," Leon informed her.

"What?" Shell asked.

"Well, two things actually," Leon explained. "He made me promise to keep you safe until he gets back, and also he wanted me to tell you that… What the–?"

Shell gasped as the entire desert floor began to quake violently once more. As the others strained to keep their footing, eventually she came to lose hers and fell backwards landing on her rear. As the melted pieces of spacecraft shook in the disturbance, Leon noticed that they began to smoke again as though they were becoming molten hot. Leon suddenly thought that perhaps the heat was getting to him too, because the steam from the metal pieces and the black chasm as well was slowly turning from white to a faint tint of pink. The rubble shifted, and a disheveled Babidi arose from the chasm and metal in a small pale green energy shield. He then floated over to the opposite side of the crater from where Leon and Kibito stood. The rumbling subsided, and all the steam and rubble finished relocating. Off to the left, Leon noticed Dabura slowly pull himself from the steel covered hole where Trunks had sent him. Gathering what was left of his energy, Dabura slowly levitated over to his master's side once more. Leon could feel that Dabura had used most of his energy in his battle with Trunks. If Leon and Kibito worked together, Leon was sure that they could win. Slowly the earthquake began to subside. However, pinkish steam still continued to resonate from heated objects on the ground.

"Damn it!" Babidi shouted furiously, "Damn it all!"

Leon and Kibito stood in wonder as Shell slowly got up behind them.

"Curse you, Spopovich! Curse you, Yamu!" Babidi continued to scream. "Wherever in hell you two are, I hope it's a hundred times worse than any torture I could've conjured up for you! I ask them to perform the simplest of tasks and they still manage to mess it up!"

Amidst the continued ranting, Dabura attempted to cut in. "But, Master, what happened?" Dabura ensued.

"The question is what didn't happen!" Babidi ranted hysterically. "And the answer is Majin Buu! Somehow those two sniveling idiots managed to mess up the reawakening process! When it was time for Majin Buu to be released, the energy was too great and simply destroyed his shell! Not only did the explosion nearly kill me, but also it destroyed my ship and Majin Buu! Curses! Curses!"

Simultaneously, Leon and Kibito's worry lifted.

"Could it be?" Kibito asked himself. "Could Majin Buu really have been destroyed by Trunks' energy?" It was certainly plausible. In Majin Buu's state of hibernation, it was possible he could not withstand such a force.

"If he was, then we should take care of Dabura immediately," Leon whispered to Kibito.

"Agreed," Kibito answered, "we should attack now while he is still weakened."

"But, Master, it is impossible!" Dabura reassured Babidi. "There is no way that any creature in existence could have created enough energy to overload Majin Buu! Perhaps this is just the way that Majin Buu hatches?"

Unfortunately for Dabura, it was no use. Babidi was content to gloat in anger and remorse. Babidi continued to ignore any reassurance from Dabura as he stood with his back turned grunting curses at the deceased Yamu and Spopvich. As Dabura finally gave up and accepted defeat, he turned his back to Babidi, but only to meet Leon's fist head on. The impact hit hard, and Dabura flew backwards at blazing speed. However, Kibito had already moved into position and stopped Dabura's flight with the flat bottom of his boot. As Dabura floated through the air bent backward from the sudden stop into Kibito's foot, he managed to utter, "Master… Please… Help–!" just before Kibito left his flying kick position, and brought his foot around to axe kick Dabura into the ground. As Dabura rolled across the ground spitting up blood as he went, he finally came to rest face up. As he slowly – and painfully – opened his eyes to look up, the blurred image of Leon came increasingly closer. Just before Leon got to him, Dabura managed to roll out of the way and up to his feet just as Leon dug Trunks' blade deep into the ground where Dabura had laid. Catching his breath, Dabura watched as Kibito jumped in next to Leon and gathered his offensive stance, and Leon pull his sword from the ground and twirl it around to an offensive stance. "So you both wish to fight me?" Dabura taunted. "Very well, but I spit at your graves!" And, with that, cocked his head and spat at Leon. Leon did his best to avoid getting spit in his eye, but in the process it landed on his sword.

"Gross," Leon said quietly. But then as he looked, Trunks' sword slowly began to fade in color and increase dramatically in weight. "…Wha, what the–?" Leon started to ask. As Leon released his grip from the absurdly heavy sword, it fell swiftly to the ground and stabbed into it blade first. The effects of Dabura's spit had turned Trunks' once famous blade into a sword of stone. As Leon and Kibito both studied the stone sword they watched as the surrounding few inches of sand also faded to rock.

"I suppose you might be a little angry with me for breaking your friend's farewell present to you," Dabura taunted with a quick laugh. "Oh well, it's not as if you will be needing it."

With that, Dabura charged at the unfocused Kibito and struck him hard in the side of the face knocking him back and away from Leon's side. Leon quickly glanced backwards to watch Kibito fall from his flight and skid across the ground and roll. Turning his attention back to Dabura, Leon met four knuckles downward into his forehead. Instantly dazed, Leon fell swiftly to his knees. Dabura laughed deeply as Leon slowly glanced up at him.Dabura clenched his hand tightly around Leon's throat and began to lift him off his knees and into the air.

"How does it feel?" Dabura asked Leon. "To know that you've come all this way today just to die by my hand? Your friend abandoned you. Your Kai ran from me. And your companion-in-arms over there can't even stand up. And now, just before you close your eyes for the last time in your life, you will see me victorious."

"Y–you're a real sick freak," Leon coughed through Dabura's grip. "And you're, you're too confident… and you're really PISSING ME OFF!" Leon screamed as his aura flared and his hands gripped Dabura's wrists intensely.

"That's right, squirm!" Dabura shouted. "I'd rather you put up a fight before you die."

As Leon's scream increased instead of subsiding as Dabura had expected, Leon slowly began to gain the power needed to persuade Dabura to loosen his grip. Then, as Leon gave everything he had, he slowly pulled Dabura's hands from his neck and out to the side.

As all this changed Dabura's facial expression dramatically, he shouted, "WHAT? NO! This can't be! You are nothing but a filthy little human spec! You can't be doing this!"

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU STOP ME, BASTARD?" Leon screamed in hatred back.

With all of his might, Leon crushed his grip into Dabura's right wrist and moved in under his arm to twist it and hold Dabura lurched forward and twisted arm held outward. While holding on to his wrist, Leon brought his elbow backwards into the Demon King's gut. As blood erupted from Dabura's mouth, it shot outward over a crouched Leon's right shoulder spilling onto the ground. Unready to finish his torment, Leon stood up abruptly, while pulling Dabura's twisted arm down hard across his right shoulder, cracking Dabura's arm at the elbow joint. Dabura screamed with overwhelming pain. At this, Leon pulled sideways on Dabura's broken arm, breaking it loudly at the joint and tearing his forearm clear off, while causing Dabura to spin. At the mercy of this madman, Dabura had barely enough time to notice his arm was half missing, before Leon had turned, ripped the stone sword-mace (considering the end of the blade was now a block of sand-turned-stone) out of the ground and twirled it around his body to baseball swing the block at the end into Dabura's spinning face. As Kibito and Shell watched from two distances in slow-motion-horror, the stone sword-mace impacted Dabura's face – broad side no less – and the thrust caved into the side of Dabura's head amassing globs of blood and flesh and shattered rock flying through the air. The impact shattered Trunks' once favored sword into tiny stone fragments and created a bashed in cut across the side of Dabura's head. At first, the thrust sent Dabura flying straight sideways, but then his body began to shift and roll in the air. First was his head to catch a tiny patch of dirt and cause a trail of blood and flesh as he skidded across the desert floor. He finally came to rest face-up (if that's what you'd call what was left of it). With half of his right arm and the left side of his face – ear, cheekbone, eye, teeth – all missing, he laid there, a bloody fragment of tissue and bone and cloth. Leon launched himself into the air and formed a solid spike of energy around his clenched right fist. As Dabura attempted to open what was left of the one, good eye he had left, he watched – somewhat – as Leon crashed down into him and sent a jagged spike of force into his abdomen. Blood erupted from the open wound in his stomach and up onto Leon and the surrounding desert floor. Apparently pissed even more greatly at this, Leon shouted one final time as he lunged off of Dabura's torso and back into the air to about fifty feet and stopped.

"See if you can feel this!" Leon shouted angrily as he brought his hands up cupped above his head and created a green energy ball. "SPIRIT BREAKER!!!" Leon shouted as he launched the small green orb forward and downward.

At the same time, Kibito could sense a reason to take cover and Shell's scouter was going crazy. Each of them took cover as best they could either behind rubble or rocks.

As Leon's attack moved through the sky, it began to grow in size and brightness. Then just as it hit the ground where Dabura lay, it's size decreased dramatically as the energy blast consumed itself around a twelve feet diameter of Dabura and then detonated, causing a shockwave to emit outwards for hundreds of yards followed by the explosion for several hundred feet. Dabura welcomed the relief, as his body was painlessly disintegrated in the engulfing blast. As the smoke and dust cleared, Leon landed at where Dabura's body would have been and spat in the dirt.

"I'd rather you put up a fight before you die, too," Leon grunted.

Elsewhere, Kibito took time to catch his breath from the gore of Leon's rage while Shell hid in slight shame from vomiting at the sights. Only Babidi remained at attention. And from behind his small, green energy shield, Babidi was now certain that things were going from worse to terrible.

---

"What is this place?" Trunks asked wonderingly as he looked around at the open terrain surrounding him.

"This, my young friend, is the planet of the Kais," the Supreme Kai enlightened him.

Trunks gazed around him, mouth open, at the beautiful scenery laid out before him. The blades of grass were all wet green in color, yet dry and wavy in the breeze. The emerald field stretched for as far as Trunks could see. Full, lush trees lined the countryside and to his right, a small hillside gave spout to a small spring waterfall from within the rocks that fell to the field to create a small oasis in this desert of paradise. To Trunks, it seemed like a more pure earth environment. The country terrain was left unmoved with no concrete, no skyscrapers, and seemingly no hassles. It was truly a work of art.

"Trunks," the Supreme Kai said interrupting Trunks' view, "this planet was created by the Kais as a haven for natural beauty. Nature on this planet exists in purity and because of that the beauty of the scenery here has always went unchecked." The Supreme Kai briefly slimmed his eyes to a look of passion and pride. "I have been to many worlds, Trunks, and I have found no other quite as beautiful as the one I call home."

Trunks certainly agreed. In all his adventures, he had never seen a place as purely colored as the place he stood now.

"However," Shin interrupted again, "this is also a world of will, Trunks. While here, you may experience times when my world will test your strengths… and your weaknesses. Do try to not let this worry you though, Trunks, for I feel that you will handle yourself perfectly."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked confused.

"My world will test you," Shin said bluntly. "You seek to destroy Majin Buu, do you not?"

"Yes," Trunks answered.

"And to do that you require the Sword of the Kais, correct?" Shin continued.

"I do," Trunks responded.

"And do you believe that you are worthy of wielding such a weapon?" Shin concluded.

"I…" Trunks began but then hesitated.

"Interesting," Shin said softly.

"What's…?" Trunks began.

"Interesting?" Shin finished.

Trunks nodded.

Shin gave a slight grin and chuckled to himself. "You will be ready," Shin answered. "You will be ready."

"_Will be_?" Trunks asked timidly.

"I will be frank with you, Trunks," Shin replied. "You are by far the strongest creature I have ever encountered alive today. It's really quite amazing. I knew of your heritage before Kibito and I began our quest to Earth, but I was not fully aware of your abilities until Spopvich and Yamu grabbed you at the fair this morning. Did you know that as a race, Saiyans were some of the most powerful born-warriors known to the universe? Which is interesting because the one thing that fuels the most of their power is something that they show very little of. Emotion. Think of your father, Trunks. Did it really surprise you that he would seem cold and uncaring? Growing up, his entire culture bred emotional repression. It would only be natural that he would react to you the same way his father would to him. Now you are thinking about Goku. About how he always seemed to care no matter how inconvenient. Where did he grow up? Exactly. Which brings me to my point. There is another species in this universe that generates another superb warrior, but not by birth, rather by emotion. That's right, Trunks, humans. Think of their entire history. Play it back in your mind. Every war, every dispute, every fight worth fighting to them was fueled by what? That which they express so plainly in their everyday lives. Emotion. But you know what I am about to tell you."

Trunks looked deeply into the Supreme Kai's eyes.

"All the power of a Saiyan Royal Warrior, fueled by all the emotions of a human man in love," Shin concluded. "It is most ironic, but clearly not coincidence. I am not worried for tomorrow, Trunks. Because I know that when the time comes to face Majin Buu, you will be ready."

"I hope you're right," Trunks said lowering his head.

"Do you doubt your abilities?" Shin asked softly.

"Sometimes," Trunks whispered.

"I see," the Supreme Kai replied. "Well, my young friend, if it is any reassurance to you, I feel that your physical strength is more than ready to deal with the Evil of Majin Buu, and with time and training, so will be your heart and mind."

"Ok, then let's find out," Trunks said with a vague grin, showing his slight reassurance.

"Splendid!" Shin said happily, "Indeed, let us begin."

As the Supreme Kai turned to lead the way he signaled Trunks to follow on his path to destiny.

---

"H-how?" Babidi stuttered. "I am absolutely positive that no human life form could generate that kind of energy! W-what are you?"

Leon's expression had vaguely changed. "I am human!" Leon shouted back. "And your worthless bodyguard was careless."

"T-this… It cannot be!" Babidi continued to repeat to himself.

"It's the feeling of losing," Leon said finishing Babidi's gibberish. "But don't get too used to it. Because when I'm finished with you, the feeling now will seem like a tickle." Leon stood upright and extended an open palm towards Babidi. Slowly Leon drew in energy to the center of his hand, and a small green energy orb formed as evidence of his upcoming attack.

As Babidi now trembled in fear, his mind began racing for a way out of his impending doom. "Wa-wait, wait a moment, Leon!" Babidi shouted, "Are you absolutely sure you want to destroy me? I mean, think of it, young man, think! Think of the things I could offer you! A truce! Peace, perhaps?"

"Creatures like you know nothing of peace," Leon uttered shaking his head.

"Oh, come now," Babidi persisted backing away (as if it would help), "Surely there is something you want…?"

Leon hesitated.

"Of course," Babidi said softly. Babidi began to search Leon's flinching thoughts. "I see," Babidi whispered telepathically to Leon. "That day Trunks saved your grandfather from the androids… That would not have been the first loss you would have suffered to them, would it? Ah, and then the motivation to your power… I see. Do you miss her?"

"Shut up!" Leon answered silently.

"You do, don't you?" Babidi said continuing to torment Leon.

Leon's energy ball dissipated, and he lowered his hand.

"What if I could return her to you?" Babidi continued to persuade telepathically. "Isn't that what she would want? Wouldn't she want to see her brother again? I know you would."

In the distance, Kibito rose up out of the rubble that had been sent out by Leon's blast. Further off, he saw Shell still crouched behind a pile of steel that provided a shield from the fighting. She was collecting herself to the best of her ability. But Kibito's attention turned back to Leon. What was going on? Kibito flew over to Leon. "My friend," he began, "are you alright?" Leon didn't respond.

Leon's attention was still focused on the mental conversation with Babidi. He stared hard into the wizard's gaze. "You lie!" he shouted out loud towards Babidi.

"Do I?" Babidi laughed. "Honestly, you fool, you're as lost as you were when you came here."

"Leon," Kibito attempted to comfort as he placed his hand on Leon's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Leon screamed, shrugging Kibito's hand from his shoulder. "Shut up! Get… Get OUT!" Leon began screaming hysterically, grasping his forehead with his hands.

Kibito backed away momentarily, not understanding what was going on. His attention swayed briefly to Babidi, who stood with outstretched hands toward Leon. Kibito watched Babidi and then Leon. What was happening? It was as if Babidi was torturing him, but he wasn't even touching him! "What is this?" Kibito marveled. But whatever was going on, it wasn't stopping. In an attempt to break the madness, Kibito launched a low-level energy ball towards Babidi. Seeing the attack on its way, Babidi dropped his hands and covered himself with an energy shield. Kibito's energy ball exploded, though causing no harm to Babidi. By this time, Leon was on his knees, with his head placed against the ground, no longer screaming, but visibly and audibly hurt.

"…Kibito," Leon whispered from the sands, "h-help me!"

Kibito knelt down to help Leon at least get his face out of the dirt. But as he turned over Leon to hold up his head, the unmistakable "M" began to burn into the flesh of his forehead. At first Kibito gasped, but then began to shout, "LEON! Leon, listen to me! Fight it, my friend! Fight it! Do not let your anger get to you, or he will turn it on you! Leon, you must hear me!"

"I-it… it hurts, Kibito," Leon whimpered through a strained face. "It feels like my face will explode. I can't fi–; it hurts…"

"NO!" Kibito screamed. His attention turned back up to where Babidi's energy shield was. "Leave him now, Sorcerer!" he ranted as he brought one arm up from cradling the head of his comrade and fired an enormous energy attack from one hand at Babidi.

Babidi's expression changed dramatically as the giant energy beam charged towards him. He screamed hysterically and brought all of his magic power into his shield to protect him. His shield did hold, but the impact of Kibito's beam knocked Babidi's bubble well into the side of a near by plateau wall.

With Babidi out of the way, Kibito's attention focused entirely back to Leon. Leon had fallen near unconsciousness, but the "M" that had began to burn into his brow was subsiding into a red burn mark. While holding Leon's head and neck with one arm, Kibito placed the other at the center of his chest and began to heal his friend's wounds. As Kibito's most effective technique began to work, Leon resumed breathing normally, and slowly squinted open his eyes. Kibito stopped and asked, "Are you alright, my friend?"

Leon hesistated and then coughed, "Unfortunately."

Kibito smiled and then helped Leon to his feet.

"What was that?" Leon questioned after gaining some slight balance.

"I am not sure, but I believe Babidi was attempting to enslave your mind," Kibito answered unknowingly.

"Well it hurt," Leon recalled, "My head probably hurt almost as bad as Dabura's."

Kibito gave a slight grin and then reassured, "Nonetheless, you are okay now, correct?"

"Yeah, I think so," Leon replied confidently. "But where's Babidi?"

Kibito looked across the ravine to the crater in the side of the plateau wall.

"Damn, Kibito!" Leon said whistling. "I see him now; he's between a rock and a hard place."

Across the ravine in the crater, Babidi pulled himself up out of the rubble. "Curses! Curses!" he shouted. "Curse them all to hell! Why did this have to happen to me? Majin Buu should have been revived! What the hell could have happened?" Babidi asked himself as he climbed back into the light of the desert floor. "Of all the accursed atrocities that could happen to one evil wizard seeking universal dominance, how could all of this have happened to me…?" Babidi's voice trailed off as his panoramic view of the desecrated remains of his spaceship showed more than what met the eye. From his distance, his eyes trailed up to the clouds above the place where his enemies had destroyed his ship. Dark storm clouds swirled over the patch of desert. The pinkish mist that had been rising off charred scrap metal could clearly be seen as a mist or fog rising up to the storm clouds high above the ground. Horizontal lightning left pink trails of sparks as it traveled from cloud to cloud. "M-my word…" Babidi whispered to himself with a look of awe, not glee. "He's more than I had even imagined… Soon, very soon I think, the universe will be forced to remember the horror of Majin Buu."

Back where Leon and Kibito stood, they wondered between themselves, why Babidi was transfixed. Even from hundreds of yards away, they could tell that he was preoccupied with something.

"What's he think he's doing?" Leon asked openly.

Kibito didn't answer but continued to watch Babidi in the distance. "Could he be preparing for an attack?" Kibito asked himself. That made no sense.

After all the turmoil, Shell walked timidly over to where Leon and Kibito stood as immobile as the distant wizard. She tugged on Leon and Kibito's sleeves. They turned her attention down to her, but she remained silent. Rather than speaking, she let the beeping noises from her scouter do the talking. The tracker had been set to find the strongest source, and it had been shifting between tracing Kibito and Leon. However now, Leon and Kibito could see as well as Shell through the transparent screen. The number was still rising, and it was not tracking any of the three of them. Slowly, with a horrified look, Shell raised her head to look up into the sky. Kibito joined her, but Leon look downward. The shadows were beginning to fade. He looked out over the desert floor around them. Darkness was beginning to fall. Then, slowly, he raised his head upward to join the other two. The clouds were swirling, and they were at the epicenter. The pinkish fog had encased the area, and the scouter was beginning to go crazy.

"That's not good is it?" Shell whispered.

"This wasn't in the forecast," Leon responded softly.

Kibito hesitated and then answered, "Prepare yourselves, my friends… The final battle is about to commence. Mercy be on us."


	10. Chapter 10: Trials Of The Blade

Chapter 10: Trials Of The Blade

"Supreme Kai," Trunks called out as they flew, "how long should it take us to reach the sword?"

"Not very much longer, Trunks," Shin replied. "Actually we should be nearing it soon."

Though not completely satisfied with the answer, Trunks remained silent as they continued to fly. He began to wonder if he would truly be able to kill Majin Buu. The Supreme Kai seemed to think that it was impossible earlier. Trunks hoped that he could find a way, because he certainly didn't have a plan at the moment.

"I suggest you not worry about it," Shin reassured Trunks. "I don't know if Majin Buu can be killed, but I do know that it will be you, if anyone, that kills him."

"Do you believe that everything happens for a reason, Supreme Kai?" Trunks asked.

"Would I not be hypocritical for thinking otherwise?" Shin responded. "Why must you worry, Trunks?"

"Something Shell told me," Trunks said remembering. "She told me that even when things get as bad as they possibly can, something good will still come of it. I'm trying to understand how she thinks that."

"Perhaps she is right," Shin agreed. "Her optimism is most welcome, though. Our day has been long and absent of optimism."

Trunks smiled. He could appreciate that in Shell. He hadn't known her but for a week, but still it seemed that they had just clicked to one another. He didn't understand it. He didn't think love just happened out of nowhere. So what was it? Fascination? No, he could feel it. He was sure he loved her, though unable to understand how on such short time. But at the same time, they had spent all hours of each day together the past week. As short as it seemed, perhaps it was more time than he gave credit. Although, maybe he shouldn't have told Leon to tell Shell that he loved her. Perhaps that was a little rash, but it was impulse. Trunks sighed aloud.

"You doubt too much," Shin said softly.

"What do you suggest?" Trunks asked uninterested.

The Supreme Kai stopped flying and hovered in one spot. As Trunks stopped behind him, Shin said, "You should not worry about things that you cannot control, Trunks. Learn to trust your heart and your feelings. Then you'll understand how to express them."

Trunks looked at Shin with a silent straight face.

"We're here," the Supreme Kai said vaguely.

"Where?" Trunks asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Here," Shin said as he looked downward and began to descend.

Trunks followed down to the peak of a rock platform. He landed with his back to the Supreme Kai and began to look downward surveying the altitude. "Wow," he said to himself. Looking outward and downward, he could now see that they stood atop of giant monolith at least three hundred feet high. It was gigantic, rising out of the grassy plains down at the face of the planet. As he turned to look with the Supreme Kai, he noticed that the peak was only perhaps ten to fifteen feet in diameter, but in the center of the staged platform their treasure stood embedded in the rock. Rising out of the rocky base, the Z Sword, he presumed, was not much different from his own sword. As he looked at it, he noticed that the hilt was gold as opposed to his own silver one. And at the tip of the handle was an encased bluish jewel, and as the blade faded down into the rock, he saw it was somewhat slimmer than his usual weapon of choice. Elegant certainly, but he imagined the shrine would have been somewhat more considered.

"This is the Z Sword," Shin introduced with a proud grin. "This is the legendary weapon that we shall use to destroy Majin Buu!"

"How did it get all the way up here?" Trunks asked blatantly.

"It was placed here, obviously," Shin said somewhat insulted, "at the site of its legendary pedestal."

Trunks hesitated for a minute. "So… do I just pull it out of the ground?" he asked.

Shin, too, hesitated. "Well, I…" he stopped.

"…Don't know." Trunks answered.

Shin frowned. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

Trunks nodded.

"I'm terribly sorry, Trunks," Shin apologized. "I don't know everything! I've never had to get the thing before."

Trunks stood for a moment. "Well," he said as he walked over to the sword, "Guess I'll go with my feelings on this one."

Shin stood back. "Be careful not to damage it," he reminded.

Trunks slowly placed his right hand around the hilt of the sword. It gleamed in the sunlight, and had a strange feel to Trunks' grip on it. "Here goes," he said in a whisper, and then gave a tug on the sword. "What the–?" he asked surprised.

"What's wrong?" Shin inquired worriedly.

"It's stuck!" Trunks announced as he grabbed the hilt with both hands and pulled.

"What do you mean it's stuck?" Shin asked running over to help.

"I mean it's stuck! It won't come out of the ground!" Trunks shouted, letting go.

"Let me try," Shin said as he gathered his grip. He grunted loudly as he did his best to pull the sword from the ground. "Why… won't it… come out?" he shouted as his grip slipped and he fell backwards. "Confound it!" he cursed from the ground. Trunks lent a hand to help him up. "Thank you," he said, "I can't possibly imagine what the matter is."

Trunks turned to grip the sword again with both hands. "Maybe…" he said as he strained, "if we try to wedge it out…" He began pulling horizontally towards him, but the sword didn't even budge.

"Careful to not break it!" Shin griped.

"Are you kidding?" Trunks said through gritted teeth, "Majin Buu couldn't damage this thing…" After pulling intensely for several minutes, Trunks gave up and let go with a loud sigh.

"Perhaps we are doing something wrong," Shin wondered.

"We could blow up the monolith," Trunks suggested.

"And risk destroying the sword?" Shin reasoned.

"I don't know about destroying it…" Trunks replied, "I mean, we can't even lift it. I think it's pretty doubtful that we might break it."

"I suppose," Shin reluctantly agreed. "I shall meditate on the thought and see if I can think of any way it should be unearthed." Shin walked to the edge of the platform and sat down, legs crossed, and began to go into a state of deep thought.

"What now?" Trunks thought to himself. "Did I really come all this way just to be unable to get the damn thing out of the ground?" His thoughts flowed back to his friends and family and Shell back home. He didn't know if Majin Buu had been revived by now or not. He decided it would be best to believe that he had that way he would use his time quickly and efficiently on the Kai Planet. Trunks searched for energy signals for a moment. The Earth was too far. He couldn't tell what was going on there. He sighed aloud. This was no good. What if Leon and Kibito had encountered Buu already? And what if they were in trouble? He doubted Leon and Kibito could stop Majin Buu by themselves. And with them out of the way, who would stop him from destroying the entire population, including Shell? The full risk of danger began to become more and more apparent to Trunks with every flowing thought. The harsh realization came that he wouldn't make it back to Earth before Buu was reborn. Leon and Kibito were on their own for a while. And they couldn't protect _everyone_. "No!" Trunks thought to himself. He couldn't let anything happen to Shell or anyone else. He looked down at the sword before him. He studied it silently for a moment, and then remembered what Shin had told him. "It wants to test me…" Trunks said aloud.

Shin's eyes snapped open. He turned to watch Trunks grasp the sword with both hands and stand, almost as though he were waiting. "Yes," the Supreme Kai affirmed, "that's it, Trunks. I'm almost certain of it! The Z Sword means to test your strength, so don't hold back!"

"Step back," Trunks said deeply.

Shin obeyed and backed to the edge of the platform.

Trunks glared down at the hilt in his hands. He grasped his hands into the sturdiest grip he could muster. He relaxed to begin with, slowly allowing his energy level to expand and grow. It had been so long since he had allowed his energy level to stretch. The native feeling of being cramped began to subside, and he could sense most every aspect of the Supreme Kai's planet. It felt good; like waking up from a long night's sleep.

Behind him, Shin's mouth dropped and he began to back further away from the monolith platform and began to hover in the air.

After allowing his energy and aura to flow and stretch, no longer being suppressed, Trunks' mind began to flow back through time as he closed his eyes. As it did, he slowly began to add pressure to pull at the sword in the ground. Much of his aura glided back to him, giving him added strength and allowing his muscles to build. As his body began to strain, and his pull on the sword heightened, it still gave no movement. Trunks continued to push his body to where it would gather a build up of energy. His jacket began to get tighter from the strain of his muscles' growth, and his belt began to do the same at the added strain. At that moment, Trunks focused all of his mental capacities back to the past. Gohan, his best friend… had given everything… to… to protect him. It was his fault for not being strong enough. He should have been there for Gohan, to help him when he needed the help the most. Gohan would still be there, if not for… And now, the same was with his friends. Leon, Kibito, his family… Shell. They would all be destroyed if he didn't get there fast. He needed the strength. He needed… the rage. And then he could feel it. When he reopened his eyes, they were now an aqua green color, and the lands around him were shaking in his wake. The winds had picked up, and his hair had begun to stand on end. And then with the thought of Gohan's needless death on his hands, Trunks' emotions pushed to the surface. Trunks erupted with a scream of anger and passion. His muscles bulged even greater, almost shredding his jacket and belt. His aura turned from dark blue to light blue to gold. And with the gold of his aura, his hair flushed the same shining color. As this added strength bolted onto his existing strain, the Z Sword vibrated in the ground. Trunks pushed his energy downward to add to his immense tug, and his body began to come off the ground crushing the platform soil into shards and breaking it into a million pieces. The monolith itself rumbled and broke at the might of Trunks' power, and as he gave his final pull on the sword, the tower of rock crumbled and collapsed. Trunks rocketed upward, Z Sword in hand, as the rocky platform below him dissolved and fell to the earth.

Shin watched in near horror as this legendary pedestal was desecrated in an instant by a Saiyan-human. The giant boulders and rock faces crashed to the ground erupting a cloud of dust and debris. And in a state of shock and awe, Shin floated slowly to the ground and to his knees. As he tried slowly to gather himself to his feet, a hand found its way before his face in an offering of help. As he took it and looked up, Super Saiyan Trunks stood holding the Z Sword in his right hand.

"I hope you're okay," Trunks said darkly. "But I'm ready to learn to use this thing now."

Shin stared with an open mouth at Trunks. Incredibly shocked at the display of raw power, the Supreme Kai could find no means of expressing his feelings. Trunks' hand felt of steel as it pulled him to his feet. "Oh," Shin gasped softly after finally regaining his ability to speak, "Oh, my… That, that was…"

"Hard," Trunks said completing Shin's sentence with his own ending. He calmed his aura to a subsiding glow. "This is amazing," Trunks continued to explain to the Supreme Kai, "Even in this state, this sword still weighs a lot!"

Shin began to collect his astonishment long enough to reply, "What do you mean?"

"Here," Trunks said handing the sword to Shin.

As Shin grasped the hilt and blade with each hand, Trunks released it, and the sword, along with the Supreme Kai, plummeted to the ground with a crash. The Supreme Kai shouted in pain as the sword crushed his fingers into the ground under its immense weight.

"Uh, oops; sorry!" Trunks apologized as he knelt to help Shin get the sword off his crushed fingers.

As the sword lifted, Shin quickly removed his fingers from the imprints in the ground and stuck them in his mouth. Tears swelled in his eyes from pain.

Trunks raised his eyebrow, and then lifted the sword up off the ground, straining. Trying to find a suitable position for the dense blade, he found the most comfortable and practical place to be balanced over his shoulder. "Sorry, Supreme Kai," Trunks apologized again, "Guess I should have told you first. You okay?"

Fighting back tears and through gritted teeth, Shin slowly got up cradling his mashed fingers to answer. "I–I'm… fine," he grumbled. "My, that terribly hurt!" he painfully complained. As the color began to return, the pain began to dissipate. "I don't see how you hold that thing…" Shin whispered under his breath.

"Huh?" Trunks asked.

"Oh, nothing," Shin said, confirming his recovery. "So what do you think, now that you have held the Sword of the Kais?" he asked.

Trunks shifted his weight to support the insanely heavy sword on his shoulder. "I think we should just drop it on Majin Buu and blast him while he can't move."

The Supreme Kai laughed. Still grinning, he agreed, "That just might work, I think."

Trunks grasped the hilt with both hands and brought the sword off his shoulder and back into a position in front of him. "So how am I supposed to use it?" he asked. He turned away from Shin and tried to swing with both hands. The rather humorous effect resulted in Trunks staggering to keep his balance. He looked like a three year old trying to swing a Major League baseball bat. He tried several times at a successful, fluent swing, but always got a wobbling strike. "Man!" Trunks gasped, "This thing's a piece of work!" He laid the sword to rest, blade down, in the grassy soil. His glow faded, and his hair fell back to its purple color. He sat down shakily next to the sword and looked up at the Supreme Kai. "I'm beat," he gasped, still breathing heavily.

Shin gave a slight smirk. "And now your training begins," he started.

"Are you gonna teach me how to lift heavy objects first?" Trunks joked.

"Hardly," Shin remarked. "The Z Sword is going to train you, Trunks. From now until you are ready to fight Majin Buu, the sword will train you body, mind, and spirit. It will teach you how to surpass your strongest strengths and mental capacities, giving your spirit a new gauge on your power level like you have never imagined. Then, you will be truly unstoppable."

"So I guess my first lesson is to learn how to hold the thing and swing it?" Trunks asked kiddingly.

"So it appears," Shin said seriously. "Trunks, I want you to take the sword and train using it. Meanwhile, I shall meditate on all the events that have unfolded today. I need to know what is happening back on Earth and what we should do when your training is complete. If you need me, I shall be over here." Then he turned and walked over to an area under a nearby tree and sat down to meditate.

"Great," Trunks grunted as he lay back onto the grass. He looked up at the peaceful blue sky and wondered how he was going to get through training, let alone Majin Buu. After resting for several minutes, he opened his eyes to look back up at the sky. It was dark. Had he fallen asleep? As he sat up and looked around, he saw that the grassy plains had disappeared. Nothing but cracked, dry earth ran for miles on what had been the lush planet earlier. The only grass left was the small area around the Z Sword. "What's going on?" Trunks asked himself as he stood up. He turned to look, and the Supreme Kai was still sitting under a now dead and rotting tree. Puzzled, he walked over to Shin. "Hey, Supreme Kai, do you know what's going on?" he asked. Shin didn't flinch. "Supreme Kai?" Trunks asked again as he reached down to touch his shoulder.

As he did, the Supreme Kai's body faded and turned to black. The black figure spun around quickly and punched Trunks square in the face, knocking him back several feet.

As he landed and rolled, Trunks grunted and, once stopped, kicked back up to his feet. "What's going on!" Trunks exclaimed to himself. The shadowy figure that had punched him was just that, shadow. It was nothing but the shadowy outline of a man in fighting uniform. "Is that you, Supreme Kai?" Trunks shouted to it.

The figure ignored the question and flew instantly towards Trunks to fight. As it neared, it shot out its foot to strike with a kick. Trunks attempted to block, but the creature's foot traveled in a smoky haze straight through Trunks' forearm and into the side of his face.

Trunks gave a shout of pain as again he flew and skidded across the ground. Stopping face down, he pushed his face up out of the rocky, dry dirt. "What is this?" he muttered with one eye half open. "I don't get it." He got up slowly and watched as the shadow warrior took charge at him again. Remembering Gohan, he strained and shouted loudly, summoning back his Super Saiyan strength. Once in his form, he charged the shadow and began to fight it brutally, clearly outmatching it. Unfortunately after a few swings, Trunks found that all of his attacks sank clear through the shadow. "What the hell?" Trunks asked, backing off. The figure wasn't finished fighting, so it charged towards Trunks again. Trying anything he could think off, Trunks brought back his cupped hands, and brought them forward again, firing his own, primitive version of Gohan's Kamehameha wave. He hadn't used it a lot, but at this particular time, it served a quick, medium strength attack. The only problem being that it too passed like a fog through Trunks' attacker. Trunks' face turned to a look of surprise, but the shadow's knee reared into Trunks' stomach all the same. Following through, the shadow's fists hammered into Trunks' back, smashing him into the ground. Silently, the shadow kicked the Super Saiyan hard, rolling him across the ground. As Trunks looked up warily, to his left was the creature, walking hauntingly towards him. To his right, Trunks could make out a grassy patch, and a sword erupted up from the middle of it. As the figure trotted up to Trunks to make his attack, Trunks expelled his aura causing bits of rock and dirt to rotate upward, around, and outward from his body. Trunks pushed himself off the ground, grabbed the Z Sword with his right hand, and pulled with all his might to bring the sword over his body and down into an overhead cleave to sever the shadow warrior's right arm at the shoulder. The slice caused the figure to stop, look at his wound, and then look back at Trunks as he dematerialized into small blue flames. The strike had caused the sword to slice into the ground, and Trunks felt he could almost lean on it from the weight. He stood silently, breathing heavily.

The dirt crunched off to his right from the weight of a foot. He looked up slowly to find another shadow warrior. Without a word, Trunks pushed out his aura once more and heaved the sword out of the ground and into a partial fighting position in front of him. It wasn't impressive, but at least he was lifting it. The shadow charged to fight, and Trunks spun making a horizontal slice, cutting the shadow in half. It continued to fly and dissipate into flames on the other side of Trunks. "Use the sword," Trunks said between breaths, mockingly remembering what Shin had told him. "Sure, no problem." Two shadow figures appeared out of nowhere in front of him to the left and right. "Maybe a small problem…" he said changing his mind. Super Saiyan had given him a bit of added boost to his stamina. Deciding to use the extra energy, Trunks charged one of the shadow creatures, dragging the sword along the ground because it was still heavy compared to Trunks' fatigue level. He swung vertically-left upward, but the shadow disappeared before the blade ever touched. It reappeared behind him, but unfortunately so. Because of the immense inertia from heaving the sword upward, it fell over and backwards, pulling Trunks with it and into the shadow warrior splitting him in half. The sword again implanted into the ground, and Trunks landed hard on his rear still attached. Trunks was pleasantly surprised, but at the same time his butt hurt. His attention changed to the surviving shadow partner. It looked at its dissolving comrade and then back at Trunks. "Uh oh," Trunks muttered. It launched itself up in the air and then came down towards Trunks. Trunks let go of the hilt and moved out of the way of the shadow's falling boot. The creature's shoe smashed into the ground, and as it looked up, Trunks pulled the hilt towards the creature's stomach. The strike made the creature bow, and Trunks shouted using the opportunity to pull the Z Sword over his head to decapitate the shadow creature. However, gravity and Trunks' strength disagreed. As he brought the sword up to strike the shadow, he lost the battle of the weights, and fell backwards with the sword. It stabbed, but soil rather than shadow. As the creature recovered, it turned and ran towards Trunks. Seeing this, Trunks pulled hard on the sword to bring it from the ground, over his shoulders, and held it outward. The creature ran into the blade and fell to pieces. "Not the brightest shadows in the alleyways, are they?" Trunks asked himself. He got up slowly and dusted himself off. He reached for the sword. It wouldn't budge. "Oh, man," Trunks muttered, "I'm spent. It's only been four of them, and I can't stand up straight." He shrunk back down to normal. He stood, bent over, trying to catch his breath. The familiar sound of dirt crunching came to his ears. He brought his head up slightly, gazing through the strands of hair to look forward. At least ten shadow warriors stood in his way. He moved his head to the right: more of them. He looked left: more. "Oh, no," Trunks said horrified. "I can't beat them all!" He blinked, and they were all around him, inches from him. He put his hand back on the sword. The shadow creature grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, putting the sword just out of reach. Trunks stopped looking at the sword and looked back at the creature. Would this be how it ended? "Sh-Shell…" he whispered. It drew back its fist. Trunks never felt the blow.

When Trunks awoke, he felt the pain in all his body. Slowly he opened his eyes to a bright blue sky. Confused, he attempted to slowly sit up, immediately noticing the dried blood from his nose. He wiped it away and sat up. "W-what happened?" he asked himself. He looked around. The grass had returned. Off to his left, the Supreme Kai still sat under his tree. But the sword rested in the ground, the same way he had dropped it. It made no sense. He got to his feet warily. He searched himself with his hands. No bruises, no marks, nothing to indicate he had been in a fight, except for the dried blood and soreness. "This doesn't make any sense," he said to himself.

"Why not?" the Supreme Kai asked, setting aside his meditation for a moment. "I told you it would happen."

Trunks turned his attention.

"Consider that your test of strength," Shin explained.

"Did I pass?" Trunks asked hesitantly.

"You're alive," Shin replied. "That's a good sign."

"I'm still sore," Trunks noted. "I think it would be best to train until that soreness is gone."

"Perhaps that's a very good idea," Shin agreed. "But for now, rest a while and eat; you will feel better then I think."

Trunks again raised his eyebrow to the Kai. Then next to him he noticed a single table with food and drink. Giving up the idea of anything close to sensible, he decided to forget rationalizing things and indulge. Once finished, which wasn't very long in traditional Saiyan-style eating techniques, he laid down to rest for roughly half an hour. Trunks wasn't sure what was in the food that Shin had provided him with, but for whatever reasons, the soreness was gone, and he felt ready to continue his training.

"It was meant to speed up your training," the Supreme Kai said reading his mind, "We haven't much time anymore. But, Trunks…"

"Yes, Supreme Kai?" Trunks asked as he laid his right hand on the Z Sword.

"…I want you to fight not only with your strength, but with your heart and mind also," Shin explained. "This is how the Z Sword uses its power. You can only harness the true power of the sword once you fight with all three. Train well, Trunks, and remember what I have told you."

"I will," Trunks answered quietly, already knowing that Shin knew what he was thinking. As he shifted his weight with his right hand on the sword, he felt it move. Surprised, he watched the movements of his hand and sword. As he applied pressure, he could vividly see the sword move with his motions. He wasn't a Super Saiyan, and he could move it! He lifted the sword up out of the ground and held it over his head with one hand.

From his shady meditation point, Shin smiled.

"Wow!" Trunks marveled. He took a few swings with just one hand, and, while they were sloppy, he could manage a decent, slow swing. "That was quick," he said, intrigued. "That's like ten day's training in a few hours! I could use a few more servings of food like that, Supreme Kai… Supreme Kai?" He had lost all sense of Supreme Kai's life force. He turned his attention to where Shin had been sitting. In an instant and Trunks' blinking eyes, the grassy plains had returned to their dry, cracked status, and in the Supreme Kai's place under his dead tree stood the shadow creature. Trunks' expression changed. "Back for more?" he asked deeply. The shadow warrior took a fighting stance. Likewise, Trunks brought up the Z Sword in front of him, both hands tight in grip. Then, with a haunting grin and intimidating look, Trunks asked, "Let's see how things turn out this time…"


	11. Chapter 11: Majin Buu Reborn!

Chapter 11: Majin Buu Reborn!

The skies above the desert floor loomed with dark stormy clouds. Pink lightning pierced the clouds and struck the ground all around where Leon, Kibito, and Shell stood.

"Shell," Leon shouted, "You need to get out of here now! When Majin Buu gets down here you'll only be in the way, so the best thing for you to do is get back to West City!"

Shell hesitated and then nodded. "Okay," she agreed, heading back to her skycar. Unfortunately, she had taken no more than ten steps when lightning flashed again, this time striking the skycar and blowing it up. "Eh, maybe not…" she said, changing her direction to run back to her friends.

"Damn it!" Leon cursed. "Try to find somewhere safe to hide, Shell. No matter what happens, don't come out to try to help us, okay? Trunks made me promise to take care of you, so I can't let anything happen to you, understand? So go hide, now!"

Shell didn't bother acknowledging; she immediately turned and ran off to hide.

"Eh–," Leon gasped and said, "Starting to look like this could get rough, Kibito."

Together, Leon and Kibito watched the skies. As the storm clouds drew in all the pink mist, and the lightning flashed around them, a life force began to resonate from the center of the storm. The lightning drew upward and inward to the center of the clouds and began to pulsate around them.

"Do you feel that?" Leon asked wearily.

Kibito nodded silently and then whispered, "Evil lives…"

Then, without warning, the epicenter of the storm exploded with an invisible shockwave, spreading the clouds infinitely across the horizons and blowing rubble and sand from the ground all around Leon and Kibito. They strained with grunts and gritted teeth to stand their ground and not be blown away. And as the dust and sand cleared, they found themselves surprisingly alone on the empty desert floor. The rubble and debris from Babidi's ship had been almost completely lost in the shockwave, and, apart from the sandy crater with an abyss in the center, Leon and Kibito found themselves on a relatively empty, desert floor once again.

As Leon looked around, suddenly he panicked. "SHELL!" he shouted. "Shell! Where are you!"

There was no reply from the empty desert.

"Oh no!" Leon said to himself. "Kibito, we have to find her! Trunks, h-he made me promise! We can't lose her!" Frantically he began running to the edge of the crater and up onto the sand. "Shell!" he yelled in one direction, "SHELL!"

Kibito joined his friend in hopes that they might find their missing companion. Together they shouted and searched the landscape for any sign of her. But it was no use. Seemingly, she had disappeared without any single trace. Kibito closed his eyes and began to search silently for her energy signal. His expression tensed. There were so many signals in the desert, and he had known her for such a short time. It was hard to get a direct bearing on which might be hers. "It is very likely she is still alive," he told Leon.

"Huh?" Leon said looking back. "Yeah, but I'm having trouble finding her. She might be unconscious."

Suddenly, any energy signal that Shell might have been giving off was completely wiped off the map. Leon and Kibito turned to watch pink mist swirl down from the sky and into a single spot on the desert floor. Distantly, Babidi had returned to watch for himself the revival of his monstrous creation.

"At long last," Babidi screeched, "the world will come to know the meaning of evil! You two and your blasted Kai's futile attempts to destroy the greatest weapon in all the universe have come to an abrupt and unsuccessful end. Majin Buu is reborn!"

The pink mist, now swirling on the ground, began to subside and take shape until a solid figure was left standing in its stead. As all worst fears should have been met, to all's surprise it was not so. A bulky, pink blob clothed in ancient attire with yellow boots and gloves and a long purple cape stood motionless in the desert. His robust figure settled his leg clothing to look something like a giant diaper. Above his lower torso coverings, rested a large black belt with a gold buckle and vividly signatured "M" on it. Lastly, a black vest with goldish trim stretched to fit the fleshy outline of this massive creature. Seemingly enough however, the creature didn't stand much taller than Leon or Trunks, but in width surpassed them by at least five times. As menacing as this creature had been rumored to be, at first sight, not even Babidi seemed to take the creature seriously. Apart from the sheer fluff of its face, the short, pink antenna on the peak of its head was particularly unimpressive.

"What the hell is that?" Leon asked breaking the embarrassing silence. "I thought we were all doomed?" he said beginning to laugh. "What's it gonna do sit on us?"

Kibito's expression lightened somewhat, but still remained cautious.

"M-Majin Buu?" Babidi asked the creature, his voice audibly signaling disappointment. "Is it you, Majin Buu?"

"Hhhmmmmm?" the pink monster asked, turning to face Babidi.

"Do you remember Master Bibidi?" the wizard asked his creature.

Silently, Buu simply tilted his head as if not understanding.

"Well, I am his son and your new master, Babidi," the wizard explained.

"Bibidi, Babidi, and Buu, huh?" Leon shouted to Babidi. "Well, I guess your monster turned back into a jellybean at midnight!" he joked, laughing hard.

"What funny?" Majin Buu said, finally speaking up in a high-pitched, three year old voice.

"Nothing," Leon said trying to suppress his laughter, "Nothing. Just that we came all this way today to save the world from a giant, pink marshmallow."

"You make fun of Majin Buu?" Buu asked Leon innocently.

Leon continued to laugh.

Majin Buu gave an aggravated grunt. "Then Majin Buu make fun of you!" he shouted as he flew towards Leon and landed a punch square in Leon's face.

Even though Kibito was standing right next to Leon, it had seemed so fast that it was as if Leon were simply there and then not there. Majin Buu landed where Leon had been standing, and Kibito turned to watch frightfully as Leon flew off from sight. A black dot on the horizon punctured a cliff wall reducing it to rubble.

"L-Leon?" Kibtio whimpered.

"Oh yes, Majin Buu!" Babidi squealed. "That's it, my child! Tear them to pieces! Do not stop until they lie dead!"

"Dead?" Majin Buu repeated, smiling at Kibito. "Master say make you all dead! Dead, dead, dead, DEAD!" Buu repeatedly squelched.

Kibito took a step away from Majin Buu. It was nothing more than a game to the creature! Panicking, Kibito reared both hands into Buu with an energy attack at point blank range. As the beam immersed and surrounded the body of Majin Buu, the area behind left nothing but scattered dust and destruction. But as the dust cleared, Majin Buu stood snickering.

Laughing, Buu shouted, "Ha, ha, no more! No more tickle Buu! He ticklish!" With that, he leaned forward, head butting Kibito and knocking him off balance. Immediately following, Buu backhanded Kibito hard, causing him to tumble across the desert floor and come to rest face down.

A shout cried out from Buu's right as Leon shot across the sands to attempt a blow on Buu. Unfortunately even from twelve feet away, Buu's rubbery arms could still stretch far enough to land a punch on Leon before he was even in range to attack. Buu's outstretched fist enveloped deeply into Leon's torso, bending him over Buu's fist. Bending his arm, Buu brought Leon around to slam the earthling into the ground in front of him. While blood trickled from small wounds in Leon's back from the slam, it also managed to emit minutely from his mouth as Leon coughed in pain. As Leon looked up at Buu, Buu gathered an extremely large grin across his face.

"Buu make you dead now!" Buu shrieked at Leon with a giant smile.

"Not yet," Leon disagreed from the ground. He pulled his right hand up to his face and created a small, green energy attack. As the attack gathered strength, it pulled his fingers in to cup it. He screamed hysterically as he brought his hand forward, the wrist gripped by his left hand, and fired an immense, green beam into Buu.

As the beam connected, Leon could feel Majin Buu's grip of pressure loosen and subside. After being satisfied with the amount of damage dealt, Leon ended the attack and lowered his hands. He lay motionless on the ground from exhaustion. When the dust cleared, Majin Buu stood, somewhat, laterally mutilated with the upper third of his body missing.

"MAJIN BUU!" Babidi screamed in agony. "No! You, you, bastard! You'll pay for this! If Majin Buu is to be destroyed, it will be you, pathetic boy, which will take his place!" Babidi again outstretched his hands and began pouring every ounce of corruption magic he could muster directly into Leon's mind.

Leon shouted with intense pain. "G-get out of my head, wizard!" he screamed.

"Whether you want to help me or not, you will now!" Babidi taunted.

Leon continued to struggle on the ground. As his aura erupted around him, sand a dust flew in every direction. His eyes darkened, and the burning on his brow began to return. His screams continued, and his will began to disappear. He felt exhausted, so tired. It was no use fighting… he was too… tired. "No…" he whispered as his complexion faded, and he fell onto his back.

Kibito proceeded to peel himself from the ground. His head was pounding, and he was still dazed from the force of Majin Buu's blow. He sighed as he rubbed his head and turned back to face his enemy. Leon lay on the ground, and Majin Buu trembled and flinched at the loss of his upper body. Kibito watched in remarkable horror as the creature began to bubble and bloat until his entire missing portions had regenerated themselves with the audible pop of bubble gum. He had to help Leon…

Majin Buu screamed as he reformed himself and stood still. "You make Buu go pop!" the creature shouted at the unconscious Leon. "You must be strong!" Buu complimented. "That must mean you really strong!" Buu said with an evil grin as he reared back and soccer kicked Leon across the desert. In hysterical laughter, Majin Buu watched Leon soar through the air. "Buu make you fly far, far!" he chanted. "Strong man wake up now and fight Majin Buu!"

Kibito flew up into the air to catch Leon. With him in hand, he returned to the ground and immediately began to try to heal him. "Please, my friend, do not slip beyond my reach…" Kibito prayed as he healed. Then it caught his eye. Kibito had not noticed before, but the "M" in Leon's forehead hadn't disappeared. "Oh, no!" he cried, as he realigned his hand to Leon's forehead. "Out, dark magic, leave this child," he chanted as he fought internally. Kibito's concentration was deep when suddenly a hand grabbed his own. As he looked down, Leon was gazing up at him. "Leon?" he asked, "How do you fe–!"

Before he had finished, Leon's fist broke his sentence and almost his jaw. The impact threw him backwards against the sands, and blood erupted from his mouth and scattered around him. Immediately, Leon was on his feet and glaring down at his _enemy_. Strangely, something was different about Leon's possession. Everyone was the enemy. Without a word, he blasted Kibito, knocking the Kai's servant well enough away. Silently, he turned to face Majin Buu.

"Majin Buu," Babidi cut in, "this is your new playmate, you may deal with him as you please."

"Majin Buu want to fight strong man!" Buu screeched.

Immediately, Leon charged at Buu taking his elbow deeply into the monster's gut. Buu's body folded at the impact. From there, Leon brought up his knee into Buu's chin and then a roundhouse with the other leg. Buu tilted to his side. From there, Leon continued to give Buu a barrage of punches and kicks until the beast was almost covered in small indentions from the blows. Lastly, Leon grabbed the tentacle on Buu's head with his left hand and pulled up, opening Buu's mouth. As Buu gave a squelching noise, Leon placed his right hand into Buu's mouth and launched a powerful one-handed energy beam, blowing the back of Buu's head wide open. Leon continued to pull on the tentacle, however, until he pulled Buu's entire head free. Vastly mutilated, Majin Buu's head gave a ghastly look as it was tossed into the air and obliterated by Leon's final energy attack. Although just as Leon turned around again, another head sprouted from the wide neck of Majin Buu's body, and a powerful straight punch sent Leon sliding across the sand.

Kibito, war-torn and ravaged, unearthed himself from the sand. As Leon landed in the distance, Kibito could tell that things were not going well. He needed to break Leon's curse. Scanning the area, Kibito found Babidi offset from the fighting. As Leon erupted back up from the ground and flew back to Majin Buu to continue their fight, Kibito made his way quietly over to where Babidi stood. From behind, Kibito swiftly reached down and nabbed the wizard around his neck. Babidi let out a slight squeal as this happened, but then fell to silence.

"Got you," Kibito whispered to the wizard. "Now, I want you to listen to me very, very carefully," he said to the wizard. "You are going to release my friend over their from this accursed spell, or I am going to determine if the Supreme Kai was right as to whether or not you really do have a black heart. Do I make myself clear?"

Babidi nodded.

"Then I would suggest you begin," Kibito muttered.

Following Kibito's orders, Babidi outstretched his hands and began to retrieve his dark magic from within Leon's mind. Midfight, Leon hesitated to attack Majin Buu and then grabbed his temples. Screaming in agony, he could feel the pains again returning to his head. Majin Buu cared little, however. Continuing the fight, Majin Buu remained pummeling Leon even though no return blows were even attempted. Leon fell to the ground as Buu continued to beat him. To finish, Buu jumped high into the air and came down with his butt hard on Leon's gut. Leon screamed as he spat blood from his mouth and nostrils all over himself and the ground. As he laid his head back in unconsciousness, the insidious "M" on his forehead faded.

"Buu make strong man dead!" Majin Buu screeched in triumph.

"No," Kibito said as he still held Babidi. "NO!" He threw Babidi to the ground and powered up immediately to fly towards the creature sitting atop his friend.

"Majin Buu, look out!" Babidi warned as he hit the ground.

Heeding his master's call, Majin Buu turned to see Kibito flying towards him. Kibito had already neared Buu before the creature could stand, and Kibito unmercifully unleashed all of his anger and rage into the collection of swift combos he landed. Even the mighty Majin Buu was knocked first off Leon, and then continually backwards as Kibito attacked. After having enough, Buu's patience had vanished. He stopped one of Kibito's punches with his hand and then another. With both hands held tight by the monster, Kibito kicked hard into the creature's groin.

Majin Buu growled as he blew pink steam out of the tiny pores on the top side of his upper body. "You make Buu mad!" he screamed. "Buu make you go bye bye!" Still holding Kibito's right hand, Buu released Kibito's left and brought back his free hand to straight punch Kibito in the face. The impact cracked Kibito head backwards in a whiplash fashion, slinging blood and saliva in a trail several feet behind him. Forehead bleeding profusely, Kibito's lifeless body hanged in Buu's grasp. Kibito gave a few groans and gasps for air before Majin Buu put his hand to Kibito's torso and fired a piercing, pink beam straight through Kibito. His eyes closed before he touched the ground. Majin Buu hesitated a moment and then gave a tremendous laugh. "Buu win fight! Buu win fight!" he chanted. "Buu fight two strong men at same time and still win! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Incredible, Majin Buu!" Babidi congratulated as he ran towards his creature. "Such delightful ferocity, Majin Buu, you truly are the monster of legend!"

"Monster?" Buu asked. "Buu not monster."

"Buu is monst–," Babidi began before catching himself, "I mean, you are a monster. You are my monster, and your job is to destroy everyone and everything I tell you to!"

Buu groaned as he contemplated. "Can Buu fight strong men?" he asked.

"Uh, well yes, yes of course!" Babidi appeased. "You can fight every strong man that I find for you, ok? That way we may conquer the entire universe."

"Hmm," Buu uttered hesitantly, "OK! These strong men fun, where we find others like them?"

"This way," Babidi said conspiringly, "As your master, I can lead you to where you need to go…"

"WWEEEEE!" Majin Buu screeched as he put Babidi on his shoulders. "Let's go!"

"YES!" Babidi shouted in a shrill voice. "Let's go, Majin Buu! …Majin Buu? You stupid, pink ball of lard, what are you staring at?"

"Master Babidi," Buu said softly, "Look at pretty lady."

"What in the–?" Babidi asked irritably confused. "What are you talking about?" Babidi looked around Buu's shoulder.

Shell gasped when she realized she had been seen. Exposed she stood up from behind the clump of sand she had been hiding behind and watched defensively.

"Another nuisance, Majin Buu, kill her," Babidi ordered.

"What?" the creature asked.

"Kill her!" Babidi repeated.

"No!" Buu refused. "Buu no kill pretty lady."

"What did you say?" Babidi asked again, not believing his ears. "I ordered you to kill her! That's my order, and you'd best follow it!"

"Buu no kill pretty lady!" Buu shouted at his master throwing him into a shallow state of fear. "Buu like pretty lady. You think pretty lady like Buu?"

"I imagine she thinks you're the most disgusting giant, pink, blob of fatty tissue she's likely ever seen," Babidi said under his breath. "No, I doubt it, Majin Buu, so why don't we just get going?"

"Buu want ask her out!" Buu shrieked.

"All this trouble for a monster capable of mass destruction, and all I get is a mentally incapacitated, puberty stricken, bubble gum mass of stupidity!" Babidi said to himself. He looked at Shell a short distance away. Quietly, he cast a sleeping spell on her, and she instantly staggered and fell to the sands. "Well, looks like the heat has gotten to her," Babidi snickered. "Too bad."

"Buu help pretty lady!" Buu boomed. "Then, pretty lady will love Majin Buu!"

"No, no!" Babidi retorted. "No, Majin Buu, I'm very sure she's far past reviving. Why don't you come with me to West City and we'll see lots of pretty ladies there."

"Buu can't help pretty lady?" Buu asked innocently. "Buu not want pretty lady to die. Noooo!"

"Majin Buu, get a hold of yourself!" Babidi exclaimed. "I'm afraid she's dead, Majin Buu, so let's get out of here and go take care of business."

"Majin Buu make city pay for leaving pretty lady in desert to die!" Buu shouted vengefully. "Majin Buu make all pay!"

"Sure, sure, whatever, Majin Buu," Babidi ordered. "Let's just get going."

Grumbling angrily, Majin Buu began to take to the skies before pausing and asking, "Master Babidi, which way to West City?"

"That would be that way," he answered embarrassingly, pointing towards the Southwest.

With Babidi as Master and compass, Majin Buu rocketed southward towards West City, bearing his master on his back, vengeance in his heart, and destruction in his mind.

Author's Note:  
Sorry for taking so long w/ the updates! Christmas holidays and the new year always does this to me! Do the holidays get anyone else off schedule?Grrr, maybe just me. Anyway, sorry for the holdup, but hopefully I'm back on track now! And as always, thanx for the many reviews, it really helps with motivation! Thanx all!


	12. Chapter 12: Power Of The Kais

Chapter 12: Power Of The Kais

"Kibito…" the Supreme Kai whispered to himself. Under the lone tree in the endless green fields of paradise, tears began to slowly swell in the Supreme Kai's eyes.

Noticing the Supreme Kai's unhappiness, Trunks halted his practice with the Z Sword. As he walked over to where the Kai sat lonesome under his tree, Trunks asked, "Supreme Kai, are you okay?"

Through sniffs and a few solemn tears, the Supreme Kai said softly, "It's Kibito…"

Trunks silently for a moment and then realized the Kai's meaning. "Then he's…"

"Fallen," Shin finished. Drying his tears with concentration, Shin continued, "He was a most honorable and loyal servant, and I was quite fond of him. He will be greatly missed."

"How?" Trunks asked immediately. "How did he die?"

With closed eyes, the Supreme Kai's expression changed. "Majin Buu, Trunks. Majin Buu. It has started. Now that Majin Buu has been awakened, his reign of terror will only grow. The death toll shall rise, and Kibito shall not be the last to fall at the hands of Majin Buu. Time is now hastening to fade. We must hurry, Trunks. Or else the fate of the Earth and universe will soon be doomed."

"What about Leon!" Trunks exclaimed. "Is he okay?"

"He is… alive, but not well," Shin said concentrating. "His life force is hard to trace. So much evil envelopes the Earth. All other energy sources are all but blotted out."

"So that is Majin Buu's power?" Trunks asked with his eyes closed.

The Supreme Kai glanced up at him. Trunks was in a shallow state of concentration.

"You're right," Trunks replied. "I can only sense him; he's covered the entire planet in his wake." Trunks begin to concentrate on the energy signal produced by Buu. It was the same energy he had felt earlier in the week. During the nights when things were calm, and he was on his way back from Shell's apartment. It was the same energy. Dark, hollow, and evil. If only he had done something about Majin Buu then. He knew that there was something in the desert. Knew and done nothing. He blamed himself. It was his fault Kibito was dead. And the blood of the countless others that would surely perish under Majin Buu? All of their blood would be on his hands too. All of it would be his fault. And if Leon should die? Or Shell? No, it would be too much.

"You cannot blame yourself for everything, Trunks," Supreme Kai said interrupting Trunks' internal conflict.

Snapping awake, Trunks' eyes sprung open green, the thought of losing Shell still too near on mind.

"If it is blame you wish to hand around, then I am responsible for their deaths," Shin resounded sharply.

Trunks began to calm, and his eyes slowly returned to blue. "I'm sorry, Supreme Kai," Trunks apologized, "It's just that if I had–."

"There is always something we could have done, Trunks," Shin again interrupted. "But if you are to blame for what is happening, then I am to blame for allowing Buu to live. If I had managed to kill him millennia ago, then he would not be on Earth right now. Kibito would be alive, and you would not have the burdens that you have now. Yes, if only I had done things differently."

"I'm sorry," Trunks repeated.

"Yes, I am too, Trunks," Shin replied. "I'm sorry that I didn't destroy Buu ages ago, and I'm sorry that you didn't destroy him days ago. But how does being sorry help our situation? My friend, many things happen that we do not plan to happen. But if we do nothing but lament what we should have done, what future do we have hope for? Only one bent on our own self-pity. So we must hold to what we believe in."

Trunks looked at the Supreme Kai without speaking.

"You once asked me if I believed that everything happens for a reason, Trunks. And my answer remains the same. I am a guardian in this realm, Trunks. There are many things I still do not know. Some of them, perhaps I am not meant to know. But what I do know is that Majin Buu survived me for a reason. And he is on Earth for a reason. And you are here for a reason, Trunks. I certainly do not find it chance that I have met you, or that you are here now with the Z Sword in hand, unwavering, when no one else could lift it. Therefore, if you are asking if I see reason that Majin Buu is alive, and that you are here, then the answer is most undeniably yes. And while I may not yet understand what reason that is, it does not escape the fact that it is for a reason. And we shall understand that reason before these days of Buu's darkness are done."

Trunks stood motionless for a moment, his gaze immersed in the soil beneath their feet. "You talk like I'm some kind of hero," Trunks grunted.

"I speak as though you have the opportunity," Shin corrected.

"Do you think I have a chance, Supreme Kai?" Trunks asked honestly. "Do you think that I can even put up a fight against the power of Majin Buu?"

"I think," Shin answered slowly and softly, "that when the time comes for you to face him, that I shall be there with you. To fight with you, and to find the answer to that question with you. But in the mean time, I think you're well on your way to winning that battle when it comes."

"How will I know?" Trunks whispered.

"You will know," the Supreme Kai answered quietly. "You will know. But in the mean time we must hurry and complete our work with the sword, before any more lives are lost in vain."

"Well, I think I'm getting better with this thing," Trunks said cheering up.

"I agree," Shin answered. "You have certainly come a long way with the Z Sword. Do you see now, Trunks? I think you are quite destined for this battle, and I do not think that you shall lose. For you to show as much doubt as you do, our situation holds much hope; you must yet have faith, my young friend."

"Alright then," Trunks agreed. He pulled up the Z Sword and took a light swing. "So how do I prove my strength with this blade, Supreme Kai?" Trunks asked over his shoulder. No answer came. Sensing its return, Trunks lowered the sword to his side. Parched, cracked earth and dark, cloudy skies once again painted a shroud over the beauty of the Kai planet. Trunks turned slowly to face his old foe, the shadow warrior. "I take it that you will be the judge of that?" he asked the creature.

The shadow warrior lowered its body to that of a fighting stance. As Trunks readied, the shadow took flight towards Trunks only to see him disappear. But as the shadow creature ordered itself to turn to face him, it found its body irresponsive. Looking down, the shiny blade of the Z Sword emitted from its chest. Trunks had moved around the creature without it even seeing him, and stabbing his blade backwards through the creature's back and chest. The creature watched its hands as it dissipated and collapsed into nothing.

"Got you," Trunks taunted as the shadow warrior went down. After the creature had melted off of the blade, Trunks pulled at the blade causing it to spin in his hands until he brought it back up in front of himself in an impressive display of sword-play maneuvers. "I know that's not the best you can do," Trunks said to the Z Sword. "Bump up the difficulty a bit. Make sure I'm ready to face Majin Buu." Immediately, a dark mist began to gather over the ground, and all of the cracked earth began to be shrouded in a dark, grey fog. All around Trunks, shadow warriors began emerging from the mist until some forty or fifty creatures all stood encircling Trunks. "Interesting," Trunks said softly.

No sooner had he spoken, than all of the shadows began to charge at him. Trunks drew back his sword, and, with one hand, he spun swiftly in a circle with his blade outstretched in his right hand dissolving all of the oncoming frontline shadows in the blades wake. As the remaining shadows evaded and dodged the wrath of the Z Sword, Trunks flowed straight out of his spin into fierce combat with any surviving shadow within reach. The battle raged for a surprisingly very short time until Trunks had defeated enough that he could notice them spawning from the mist every time he would kill one. Soon the fifty had turned into sixty, who, in turn, had turned into seventy, until every shadow Trunks destroyed was replaced by ten more! For sheer lack of elbow room, a creature finally landed a hit on Trunks, knocking the Z Sword from his hand and sending Trunks flying across the ground. As he landed, Trunks immediately bounced himself into a cartwheel to regain his footing. Looking around, over a hundred pitch black bodies stood looking at him. There were so many, that it almost looked as if there were no horizon. The black ring enveloping Trunks was so densely packed with shadow warriors, that he couldn't really see the outline of where one ended and the next began. But in the emptiness of all the darkness of shadows, Trunks could see the Z Sword, blade down, in the ground in the distance.

"It seems like you all might be having trouble seeing me," Trunks said looking back at all of his attackers. "So I'm gonna make sure everyone can keep up. Your hint is that I'll be the only one glowing," he said taunting again. "That should make me a pretty easy target, I'd think." As his eyes once again turned green, his hair turned gold and stood on end, as Trunks' Super Saiyan form slowly began to emerge. His power and aura both expanded around him, and a few nearby shadows took steps backwards. "There," Trunks said as he completed his transformation, "so now all you have to do is hit me… if you can."

Unfortunately for some poor shadow warrior, before it had the chance to move, Trunks focused his energy and outstretched his right hand. Expecting a beam, the shadow warrior flinched and prepared to block, but found out too late that Trunks wasn't focusing his energy on him. Behind the shadow warrior, the Z Sword uprooted and was pulled like a bolt of lightning towards Trunks' outstretched hand catching the shadow creature in the back on the way. Just as the creature and sword got to Trunks, he brought his left hand forward, stopping the flight of the shadow creature, but continuing the flight of the Z Sword and pulling the sword straight through the creature from its back. Impaled and shocked, the creature dissolved while still floating in the air in front of Trunks. Trunks remained there with his left hand outstretched and clutching the Z Sword with his right, waiting for the shadows to attack. As the shadow creatures all stood contemplating whether or not they should attack, one particular shadow creature stepped forward. Trunks acknowledged the one and waited for its attack. Taking off, the shadow flew towards Trunks and attempted to land a punch on him. Trunks blocked with the broad side of his blade, causing the shadow warrior's hand to visibly burn. The creature drew back its hand in pain. Seeing this as an opening, Trunks immediately brought forward his left hand, punching the creature dead on in the face. The creature's head cocked backward, but then was immediately lurched forward from the force of Trunks' knee in its stomach. Then, after Trunks had unleashed a series of punches and kicks on the poor creature, he spun around, sidestepping the shadow warrior and swung his sword as he went to sever the creatures head at the neck. The momentum cast the creature's head up into the air, but it, along with its body, had dissolved before the head had even touched the ground.

"Who's next?" he asked grimly.

Angrily, all of the warriors then attacked him at once. Unfortunately, because of his training, Trunks had learned to maneuver the Z Sword rather well, but in Super Saiyan form, the sword was not much more weight than that of a wooden stick to Trunks. Effortlessly and almost elegantly, Trunks defeated creature after creature with the Z Sword. As his onslaught continued, the shadow creatures became more and more outmatched, until the finally began to dissipate after Trunks would defeat them. And with no more creatures spawning from the mist, Trunks quickly had their numbers lowered until there was only one left. The lone creature took a defensive stance and waited for Trunks to attack. Pleased with his victory, Trunks flew towards his opponent in a charge. Desperate, the creature thrust out its fist only to have Trunks catch the punch with his own palm. Without hesitation, Trunks spun his Z Sword in his right hand and brought it forward to the creature's throat. However, before Trunks thrust his sword into the creature, the shadow faded from the creature and a familiar face smiled at Trunks. Startled, Trunks stopped his attack, and looked back at the face of his attacker.

"Gohan?" Trunks asked his master's form.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, Gohan's body dissipated and all the mist faded from the ground. Trunks blinked, and then everything was back to the way it was. He stood in the same position that he had held against his master, except now back in the fields on the Kai planet. He looked around and saw that the clouds had vanished, the dry, cracked earth had sprouted grass, and blissfulness had returned to the land. The only difference in setting was that the Supreme Kai no longer sat oblivious under his tree, rather, now he stood with his arms behind his back and a pleased look upon his face, gleaming at Trunks.

"What was that?" Trunks asked the Supreme Kai.

"You have passed the test of strength," Shin answered with a bright smile. "You have done well, just as I believed you would."

"I saw…" Trunks began, but faded.

"I know," Shin replied. "And you will see him again. In your heart and mind, his memory still resides. The sword will test you with this. So be prepared."

"For what?" Trunks asked warily.

Shin hesitated before replying, "Anything."

There was a silence for a moment as Trunks contemplated the meaning of the Supreme Kai's words. What test could include his master, Gohan? He couldn't fight him and win, so that couldn't be it. Perhaps the memory of Gohan would help him find motivation. He didn't know. And there was no sense worrying about it. The answer would have to wait; he had to protect his friends.

"Your next training will now begin," Shin instructed, breaking the silence. "You must learn to use you the power within your mind, my friend. Some conflicts can be avoided by a simple testament to resolve. You are a bright young man, Trunks, but your mind can become much more than intelligent. Never is a fight won by strength alone. And to master a sword of legend, you must master your own thoughts. But there is something much more important I must tell you. You have proven yourself worthy to wield the Z Sword, Trunks. From now on, the longer you use that sword, the more it will enhance your abilities. The Z Sword grants its master the power of the Kais, Trunks. And everyday that goes by that you keep it, you will become stronger in the ways of a Kai."

"You mean I will learn to do things that only you can do?" Trunks asked, perplexed.

"Sort of," Shin explained. "Basically, you will expand your field of thought. The sword will greatly increase your intuition and foresight, while allowing you to learn other new abilities, many of them not physical. As I said before, strength alone does not win a battle. Channeling your mental capabilities through the power of Z Sword will certainly take you to new heights."

"I don't understand," Trunks said, disappointed.

"You will," was Shin's answer.

"How do I complete a training that I don't even understand?" Trunks asked impatiently.

"Meditate on it," the Supreme Kai instructed. "If your training should include using your mind, I would imagine the first step would be attempting to use it, wouldn't you agree?"

Trunks gave a cross look. "If you say so then," he reluctantly agreed.

"If it will make you feel any better, I will meditate with you," Shin said apologetically. "Let us begin," he said sitting down with Trunks. "Close your eyes and let your mind drift far from consciousness. Relax, and just allow your body and mind to wander from you."

Trunks stuck the Z Sword in the ground next to him and obeyed the Supreme Kai's instructions, but as he sat there, nothing seemed to come to mind. However, the relaxing feeling was refreshing to Trunks. If nothing else he would at least feel rejuvenated. But as the Supreme Kai's voice fell silent in meditation, his own feelings began to grow quiet. After a while, it began to seem like he had been sitting there for hours. Suddenly his thoughts began to flow back to his family. He thought of one of the beautiful Saturdays past, when his mother, Chi Chi, and the Ox King had enjoyed a barbeque in the backyard of the Capsule Corp Mansion. He could see himself back at that time. The warm sun beamed down upon the plush, rich green grass under his feet. In the mild warmth of the summer day, a gentle breeze blew softly and silently along the yard. He looked around. Everyone was smiling and enjoying the beautiful day that they had together. It was peaceful, and, in many ways, Trunks wished he could return there. But the sun soon passed behind the clouds. And as a shadow began to creep along the city and shroud it in mild darkness, the wind also picked up and became furious and intense. The screams of citizens blocks away slowly became audible, and the ghastly winds knocked over the grill into the green lush of the yard causing it to catch fire. Bulma and Chi Chi screamed as they and the Ox King all looked upward. Before Trunks could discover what they were looking at, there was a blinding flash of light, and his eyes squinted heavily. When the light faded, West City as he knew it was gone. Piles of debris and shattered concrete lay strewn about the city. Capsule Corp stood as a desolated ruin upon the backdrop of burning buildings and decimated skyscrapers. Chaos enraged the streets. Hundreds fled about aimlessly in the streets, amongst the bodies of thousands of others. Among the dead flashed images of Chi Chi, the Ox King, and Kibito. Other images flashed through his mind of his mother, Bulma, trapped under a culvert of concrete and steel. Leon seemed to fight an image that he could not see. It was black and lifeless, a void of evil and emptiness. Leon was losing the fight badly to whatever it might be he was engaging. Then Trunks could see Shell. She was war-torn and dirty. Under the cover of alleyways, she snuck from corner to corner carrying twin semiautomatic pistols. His images ended with her. He saw her as the beautiful young girl he had met earlier that week, and slowly and slowly the images carried him to see her gasp. Darkness drowned the rest of whatever was happening. But when the darkness faded, Trunks found himself once again in the desert wasteland he had been in his dreams earlier that week. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Shell appeared and clutched at his arm. Holding tightly, she was frantic, screaming and pointing out into the mist in front of them. All was silent, Trunks could read her expressions but continued to hear nothing. Then, he could hear something. A heartbeat, slow and steady in his mind. As Shell became more and more frantic, the heartbeat began to hasten in beat. Louder and louder, the endless beating persisted. Until it fell silent altogether. Refusing to look, Shell stood clinging to Trunks' side. From the mist, the darkened figures of both Android 17 and 18 stepped slowly out. Pushing Shell behind him, Trunks took his fighting stance. As the two androids prepared for an attack, they suddenly exploded before Trunks' very eyes. As he shielded his body from the shockwave, he tried to grab for Shell as she ran out to his side to get out of the way of combat. When he missed, he turned back to the direction the androids had came from to see the outline of two black eyes, with dark pink, burning pupils staring monstrously at him. All turned black, and the only sound he discerned from the entire sequence, was the bloodcurdling wail of Shell's scream.

"SHELL!" Trunks snapped awake screaming. His own heartbeat was racing and tears swelled under his Super Saiyan eyes. "No!" he screamed. As his power engulfed the area, the Supreme Kai had already gotten up and away from him. The Z Sword uprooted and flew several feet backwards onto the ground. As Trunks' anger gathered, he created a crater on the ground where he sat, allowing him to float up to his feet easily. His pupils disappeared, and electricity began to pulsate around his body.

"Trunks!" Shin shouted hysterically. "Calm down! It was only a dream! Stop this before you break apart the planet!"

Trunks continued to scream, seemingly ignoring everything the Supreme Kai had said.

"Stop it, Trunks, or you won't be able to save her!" Shin pleaded. "Calm down, please!"

Slowly, Trunks ceased his earsplitting screams. Then, just as slowly, his pupils returned, and he lowered his body to the ground in front of his crater. The charging electricity vanished, and his hair began to return to its normal shade of violet. He fell to his knees, crying. Through sniffs and whimpers, Trunks coughed, "Please, Supreme Kai, don't let it happen. Don't let it."

Shin looked down at Trunks with a terrified look. What had the boy seen? What could have possibly made him react in such a way? He must have seen his friends and family. What else could have been that traumatic for him? And if the discouragement was too much? This boy was the universe's last hope. He could not fail. Shin dropped to one knee to try to comfort his friend. "That is what will happen if we do not stop Majin Buu," Shin told Trunks. "And to everyone else in the universe, Trunks. Everyone's father, mother, brother and sister. Whereas the androids could only destroy the world you knew, Trunks, this evil will destroy even those that you do not. As important as it is, Earth is only the first stop on Buu's wishlist. Others just like you will lose their families and the ones they love if we don't stop him. It is up to us, my friend. And you are the only one that stands a chance. Don't be afraid of your power, Trunks. Use it to protect the ones you love. Let your love for your friends and family be your motivation to destroy that which threatens it. It's not wrong to feel angry when evil knocks on your doorstep. Let it out; use it and destroy Majin Buu, Trunks!"

"I can't let that happen," Trunks choked through tears. "What I saw in my dream; I can't let it!"

"Then let us put an end to this new threat," the Supreme Kai said softly, yet powerfully.

On the ground, Trunks dried his tears and nodded. He stood up slowly and looked down at the Supreme Kai.

"It's time we complete your training and return to Earth," Shin announced. "I think we've been away quite long enough."

"I need to know what powers this sword grants my mind," Trunks inquired in a very serious tone.

"Indeed," the Supreme Kai agreed. "And I will help you, my friend." Shin backed a few feet away and stood still. "You won't need the Z Sword for this training."

"I'm ready," Trunks said instantly.

"Good," Shin said smiling. "I'm glad to see that your attitude has changed. It's fortunate that you are feeling confident."

"Why's that?" Trunks asked.

"Because you're going to fight me with your eyes closed," the Supreme Kai informed him.

"Even if I can sense your energy, Supreme Kai, there's no way I can block every hit you throw at me. No one can trace energy patterns before they even emit!"

"Well I can," Shin boasted. "And before we're through, you will too."

Trunks hesitated for a minute. "If you say so, Supreme Kai."

"Good," Shin stated. "Then close your eyes. Now, search for my energy signal. There, yes, that's it. Ok, now concentrate, Trunks; concentrate hard. I want you to keep concentrating on me until you can see me move." Shin waved his hand.

"Ok," Trunks said unsure.

"Can you see me now?" Shin asked.

Trunks nodded.

"Alright, Trunks, you're doing splendid so I want you to watch me move for a minute and get used to the way it feels to you. Ok, now that you've gotten it, I want you to block the attack I'm about to attempt, alright?"

"Whoa, hold on!" Trunks interrupted. "If I can't do it, what kind of attack are we talking about here?"

"You can do it, Trunks," Shin reassured. "Trust me."

"Okay…" Trunks said unsure.

"Good," Shin said softly, "Here I come." The Supreme Kai uplifted himself and flew quickly towards Trunks.

As he neared him, Shin brought his foot forward to kick Trunks. Trunks could sense Shin's attack, so he raised his hands in defense. Upon impact, Trunks did manage to block the Supreme Kai's kick… sort of. Trunks did block the attack, but he was so concentrated on the Supreme Kai's movements, that the momentum knocked him many feet backwards and onto his butt. From this he rolled until he came to rest on his back. Trunks gave a loud groan as he lay there. The Supreme Kai's face showed the classic look of someone thinking "oops."

"Supreme Kai," Trunks said coughing up dust, "I think that maybe I should take my chances with my eyes open."

The Supreme Kai tried not to laugh.

"Is there any other way, maybe a safer way, that we can train foresight?" Trunks asked getting up.

Shin thought for a moment. "Well, yes, actually," he decided. The Supreme Kai formed a rock in his hand. Without a word, he closed his hand around the rock and put it behind his back. After a moment of standing with his hands behind his back, he brought both closed hands forward, crossed in front of him. "Which one is it in?"

Trunks dropped his head and put his hand over his face.

"Are you thinking about it?" Shin asked anxiously.

"Only of how stupid this is," Trunks answered rationally.

"Well fine then," Shin snapped throwing the rock down. "Do you have a better idea?"

"No," Trunks answered honestly. "But how will guessing which hand has a rock in it when I have a fifty-fifty chance help me?"

"It's not the chance," Shin argued. "The point of the exercise is to get you stop thinking and start concentrating."

"I'm confused," Trunks said blatantly.

Shin sighed agitatedly. "This is not the kind of training you will master in a day, Trunks. None of the trials of the blade are. The trials are to judge whether or not you are capable of mastering the sword, not whether or not you are already its master. Do you understand?"

Trunks hesitated. "I'm sorry, Supreme Kai. I don't mean to be biligerent."

"Your apology is accepted," Shin granted. "Let's work on this, shall we? Think of it as a battle, alright?"

Trunks nodded, following Shin's analogy.

"Okay, when you are fighting, you sense your enemy's location, correct? Well, the key to using your mind is to feel, not think. Just allow your mind to feel the same way you would sense one's location. This will enable you to foresee your enemy's attacks. It won't be easy to begin with, but the more you use it, the better at it you will get. You carry the Z Sword so it will certainly heighten your ability to learn this and other skills. Additionally, your affinity with the Z Sword will help you to feel danger and events. You will develop a 'sixth sense' in a way. Simply learn to trust your feelings the same way you would your senses in battle, Trunks, and all these things will be quickly learned. Just remember that these skills are no different from any other skill; the more you use them, the better you will learn to use them. I feel that training you to do this isn't essential to our mission, and, rather, that you should seek this knowledge and skill on your own would be far more beneficial to you, my friend. Since I have told you how to use the sword to your advantage, I believe that fate would have me leave it up to you to put your learning to use. And by that, whenever you feel that you understand what I've told you, then I shall feel that this training would be as complete as it could ever be. All I need to know is what you want to do."

Trunks looked blankly into the Supreme Kai's eyes. "You're asking me to make that choice?" he asked, understanding.

"All I must know is if you feel that you understand and are ready for your next test," Shin replied.

"What if I'm wrong?" Trunks asked carefully.

"I don't know," Shin answered.

Unsatisfied, Trunks stared into the Supreme Kai's eyes. Squinting slightly, Trunks concentrated with every ounce of feeling he had. Unaware, his eyes closed in thought. Somewhere in the darkness of his thoughts, he could hear the Supreme Kai's voice say softly, _"If you do not know when you are ready, no one will be able to show you the way…"_ "Then I am ready," Trunks said out loud. As he opened his eyes, the Supreme Kai's gleaming face met his.

"You've done it, my friend," Shin congratulated proudly.

"I, I heard what you were thinking…" Trunks shockingly agreed.

"Then, do you need more proof that you are ready for your next trial?" Shin asked sagely.

Trunks hesitated, looking downward for a moment. As he looked back up, his eyes met the Supreme Kai's directly. "No," he whispered.

"Then, we must go," Shin replied. "Your final training must be completed at the Kai Temple." He walked forward, forming a sheath in his hands. "Take this with the Z Sword," Shin instructed. "It will make the travel lighter."

Trunks accepted the Kai's gift and looked it over. It was not very different from his old sheath, he thought. Only this one was a solid dark blue, with a brown lining along the outer seams. The strap was also brown and latched in a runic style.

"It is very old," Shin told him, "May it serve you as well as its former master."

Trunks finished equipping his sheath, and grabbed the Z Sword from the green field and lowered it into its new holster. "I'm ready now, Supreme Kai," he decided.

"Then let us go in haste," Shin said, leading Trunks up and into the northward sky. "Our quest is drawing to a close."


	13. Chapter 13: Conflicting Interests

Chapter 13: Conflicting Interests

Dusk fell upon the desert sands. The relentless desert heat subsided to an icy chill as a slow breeze whirled across the desert floor. As the sun set behind him, Leon groaned quietly while he slowly regained consciousness. He staggered to his feet and looked around.

"Shell…" he whispered hoarsely. "Kibito…"

Searching the landscape, he spotted Kibito's body. Ruggedly, Leon limped over to where Kibito lay. Blood stained the desert floor underneath Kibito's lifeless body. Leon dropped to his knees and lifted his fallen friend's head in his hands.

"No!" Leon cried through clenched teeth. "It's my fault! It's all my fault!"

Leon remained on his knees with his fallen comrade for several minutes lamenting Kibito's death.

"Leon," a soft voice said, interrupting Leon's crying, "are you okay?"

Leon turned with tear-filled eyes to see Shell standing nearby. "I'm fine," he sniffed, wiping away tears. "But Kibito… Kibito is dead, Shell, and it's my fault!"

"Hey," Shell said softly, kneeling next to her friend, "what are you talking about? Of course it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is!" Leon interrupted. "That wizard did something to me! I was gonna die, but Kibito saved me. And then I attacked him! I couldn't help it; I couldn't control what I was doing! After the spell wore off, the last thing I remember seeing is that monster holding Kibito. I know it did this! And it's my fault because I couldn't help him!"

"Shhh," Shell said calmly, putting a comforting arm around Leon, "That's not true, Leon. You and I both know that. Majin Buu killed Kibito, not you."

"But I–," Leon tried to object.

"No," Shell interrupted. "There was nothing you could have done. There was nothing either of us could have done. But there is something that we can still do. We have to warn everyone that Majin Buu is coming! If we don't, a lot of people are gonna die, Leon! We can't let what happened to Kibito happen to everyone else too! We have to do something until Trunks gets back!"

"Oh, no," Leon said, looking into the southwest skies. "We're too late!"

Shell turned also witnessing the billowing grey smoke cloud emanating from what should have been West City. "Trunks, where are you?" she asked quietly.

"Do you think he'll make it in time?" Leon asked in disbelief. "Do you think Trunks will be back before everything we know is gone?"

Shell gave Leon an insulted look. "Of course he will," she reassured Leon and then turned her attention back to the dust cloud in the distance. "He has to be."

"We should head for the city," Leon suggested, "and look for survivors."

"Agreed," Shell confirmed.

"Assuming there are any," Leon added.

Shell again gave Leon an uneasy facial expression for his lack of faith. "There will be," she declared boldly. "Let's get going."

It was a silent flight back to West City, and the evidence that Majin Buu had been there was more than blatant. City skyscrapers lay strewn about the streets, buildings were destroyed, and from an aerial view the city seemed deserted. Leon flew them in for a closer view. Once on the ground, Leon and Shell explored more of the desecrated ruin that had once been their home. Unfortunately, their closer inspection of the city confirmed their worst fears. Bodies of men, women, and children, alike randomly littered the streets. Wrecked vehicles and small fires dotted the maze of rubble and rock.

"What kind of monster kills little kids?" Shell asked in shock.

"A real sick one," Leon muttered while checking for a pulse on a random body.

"So what now?" Shell asked looking around. "It looks like no one survived."

"We need to check out Capsule Corp. Mansion," Leon pointed out. "Hopefully Trunks' mom made it."

"I really hope so," Shell agreed.

The walk there was fairly short, and the absence of traffic made it all the more simple. By the time Shell and Leon had arrived at the battered remains of the mansion, it was well after dusk, and rain clouds covered the night sky. Thunder sounded in the distance.

"Why is it that it always rains in situations like this?" Leon asked contently.

"On days like today, it would seem like that when it rains, it pours," Shell replied with shallow sarcasm. "Mrs. Brief!" she shouted around the mansion estate. "Mrs. Brief!"

"Ms. Trunks' mom!" Leon shouted with her.

They searched together relentlessly through the mansion hoping to find some clue as to where everyone had disappeared to. It took Shell and Leon the better part of an hour to search the entire mansion, and still they had no better explanation than when they had started.

"Damn it!" Leon said finally. "It makes no sense that they would just up and disappear."

"Wait a minute," Shell said remembering. She led Leon through the maze of basement area to the secluded elevator that led to the shelter under the mansion. Reaching for the control panel, Shell tried to activate the elevator train. Nothing, the power was dead. "Great," she grunted aloud.

"Is this the only way in?" Leon asked.

"Yeah," Shell replied, "and with the power out now there's no way to open it. When are we gonna catch a break around here?"

Leon studied the barrier to the elevator shaft for a moment. "How far down is it?" he asked Shell.

"Possibly several stories, why?" she asked.

"Get behind me," Leon instructed.

Silently, Shell moved down the corridor and behind Leon. With a slight strain, Leon summoned forth enough energy to send a small blast into the barrier door, detonating it instantly.

"Hold on to me," Leon told her as she climbed onto his back. Leon hovered slowly down the elevator shaft until they reached the cart at the bottom. "You weren't joking," Leon told Shell as he looked back up the shaft. "We must be sixty feet below the basement of the mansion."

"We need to get through this cart and into the shelter," Shell reminded Leon.

"Right, back up," Leon instructed cooperatively. Drawing back, Leon punched clear through the ceiling of the elevator cart, and began to tear back the metal roof so that they could enter. Once inside, another small energy blast made short work of the internal chamber lock. As the door tore away, blasts of steam released from pressure valves. "Now what?" Leon asked.

"Mrs. Brief!" Shell shouted, her voice echoing down empty passageways in the shelter. "Mrs. Brief!" she called out again. "Miss Chi Chi? Anybody…?"

Slowly, Leon moved into the first room out of the elevator shaft with Shell sticking close behind.

"Is anybody home?" Leon called out.

As they looked around they noticed several bloody bodies resting on furniture. They appeared as though someone had been trying to help them. But it was no use. As Leon and Shell checked body after body, each one showed no sign of life.

"They're all–," Shell started.

"Dead," Leon finished. "Something's not right here. It looks like someone was trying to help these people when they were _interrupted_."

They looked further into the complex. More bodies, no life. Even in the kitchen, Shell found Bulma's cup of coffee, and the cup of tea she had earlier that day, but more motionless bodies in chairs, on tables, any and everywhere.

"This place is a graveyard!" Shell finally cried in horror.

"Shell, calm down," Leon said trying to comfort her.

"All of these people! Look at them, Leon! They didn't deserve this!" she shouted moving further away.

"Shell, you have to calm down," Leon repeated. "There's nothing we can do for them."

Still hysterical, Shell began moving into a corner of the kitchen next to a door. "Look at them, Leon, look at them!" she continued to scream.

Then Leon felt it. As he looked up at the door, he shouted, "Shell, get down!"

The door bolted open, and a man grabbed hold of Shell.

"No!" Leon shouted as he rushed over to her and grabbed the man by his wrist.

Menacingly, the man's attention turned to Leon. An "M" shaped scar covered the man's forehead.

"Oh, shi–!" Leon began as the man backhanded him across the room and into a cabinet section.

Shell screamed relentlessly as she tried to break free of the man's hold. But as much as she shook, she couldn't manage to get him off herself. Desperate, she brought her foot stomping down on the man's toe, causing him to flinch just enough for her to slip free of his hold. Lowering her body under his, she dug her left elbow deep into his groin, and while he bowed over stunned, she managed to move out from under him and up to the edge of the cabinet section near a set of cutting knives. As the man's gaze turned up to where Shell had moved to, the sharp blade of a filet knife whizzed in under his chin slicing his throat and throwing a streak of blood across the wall and floor. Clutching at his throat, the man fell to the floor causing a red pool of his own fluids to leak across the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Leon shouted as he pulled himself out of the rubble that had before been a cabinet. "What the hell was that?!" he asked hysterically.

"A crazy man," Shell whispered softly, her right hand shaking badly with the handle of the bloody knife.

"Not him, _you_!" Leon cried. "That was unbelievable!"

"Be quiet!" Shell suddenly commanded.

Leon became silent, getting to his feet and over to where Shell stood.

"It's not likely he was the only one, given the amount of dead down here," Shell whispered to Leon.

"Oh, shit, you're right!" he whispered back in an excited voice. I'm sensing at least two of them coming from the back corridors.

"The bedrooms," Shell informed him. "We need to make for the lab; it's close, and it's likely they wouldn't have made it that far."

"Then let's get going," Leon replied, but before they could turn for the door, another possessed citizen burst through the wall from the room they had first come from. "GO!" Leon shouted as he shot an energy ball into the man knocking him back through the hole in the wall he had come through.

Knife in hand, Shell turned and headed through the door that the man had grabbed her from. "This way!" she shouted to Leon.

In a full sprint they ran and turned corners evading as many as they could while trying to get to the lab entrance, Shell had snuck into earlier. As Shell led the way, Leon did his best to fend off any attacking citizens as they fled.

"I thought you said there were only two of them!" Shell screamed at Leon.

"I thought you said it wasn't far!" Leon screamed back as he kicked a passing possessed man.

Shell rolled her eyes, as she turned the corner into the hallway down to the lab. Turning to help Leon, she slashed at one possessed woman slicing her arm. Severely outnumbered, and not enough room to fight them all in, Leon launched an explosive energy attack, grabbed Shell, and dove back as the ceiling at the beginning of the hallway caved in, crushing all the ensuing maniacs.

Sitting up in the floor, Shell looked at Leon, "And it _was_ close; we're here."

"That's good," Leon agreed, smiling. "And I was sure there were _at least_ two more."

They both got to their feet and turned to face the abdomen of an extremely huge, bare-chested man. As they looked up, the menacing face of a man with another "M" scar on his forehead, stared down at them. Not wasting any time, Shell dug her blade deep into the man's abdomen causing blood to seep down his front. Unimpressed, the man backhanded Shell knocking her into the wall and unconscious instantly. Angered, Leon powered up and soccer kicked the man hard in the groin. Noticeably flinching, and now equally angered, the man drew back and punched hard at Leon. The impact of the man's fist, which was of equal size to Leon's trunk, sent Leon flying into the rubble he had just brought down on their pursuers.

"That's gonna leave a mark," Leon coughed as he attempted to dig himself out of the mess of rock. Looking up, the man now loomed over him. "Shell, wake up!" he shouted towards her motionless body. Leon flew up from the rubble and struck with his knee hard into the man's jaw.

Across the corridor, Shell slowly began to wake up. Seeing the fray between Leon and the goliath a few feet away, she silently got up and ran to the lab entrance. Once at the keypad, she cried, "Leon, get over here, hurry! This keypad still has power to it!"

"Oh, it'll only be a second," he remarked sarcastically as he did his best to dodge the immense swings from his behemoth of an adversary.

"If you'll just run, we can go through the door and leave him trapped in here!" Shell urged.

At the moment, Leon had the man's hand over his face and neck. "Just open the f–," the man's grip drowned out the rest of Leon's cursing until he gained enough leverage to move the man's grip a little and continued, "door already!!!"

"FINE!" she screamed back at him.

As Shell entered Trunks' birthday into the keypad, the valves made the familiar steam release sound and slowly began opening. "Let's go, Leon!" she shouted down the hallway.

Recognizing his only hope to be escape, Leon wiggled his arms free of the man's choke hold and grabbed the protruding knife that Shell had left in his torso. As his aura flared up, so did his strength, and Leon pulled the knife straight up the man's chest cavity, causing the man's grip to become as nothing. As the knife pulled free, Leon rose up above the man's enormous body and implanted the knife in the center of the "M" scar on his forehead. Not waiting to see if the blow killed his adversary or not, Leon flew down the hallway, and pulled Shell and himself through the laboratory cell lock, and closed the door behind them. The door hissed and then clicked as the locks reengaged, and Leon breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Freeze!" a voice commanded with the accompanying sound of two semiautomatic pistols cocking.

Leon took a deep breath and then slowly asked, "What the hell kinda day is this anyway?"

"I said cool it," the voice commanded again, "or you'll get a real icy feeling from shock. Both of you, stand up and get your hands up."

Still facing the door, Leon and Shell did as they were told.

"Now very slowly, turn around, and if your foreheads are clear, you might be having a good day."

Slowly enough, Shell and Leon turned around.

"What are you two doing here?" Bulma asked, lowering her pistols.

Leon and Shell exchanged glances.

"Well," Leon began, "it's kind of a long story."

"With the freaks in the city, and Majin Buu on the loose, looks like we have plenty of time," Bulma pointed out.

"Speaking of which," Leon continued, "those maniacs back in the shelter that were trying to kill us–?"

"Got me," Bulma cut in, "all I know is when we started herding people in to help them after Buu attacked, a few of the people when nuts and started attacking everyone. I took a few of them out and got as many people as I could in here and sealed us in."

"All of these people survived the attack?" Shell asked looking around at the crowd that had gathered.

"As far as we know, we're all," Bulma answered. "There could be others out there, but–."

"But it's highly unlikely," Leon answered. "Those goons that attacked you, they all had "M's" stenciled into their foreheads?"

"Yes, why?" Bulma asked.

"They were possessed," Leon answered. "Buu's master, Babidi, has been using mind control magic to take over people's minds. Earlier today, the Supreme Kai and I fought off an army of those psychos. Worst part being, I almost became one of them, myself. I imagine the attack was swift and not much is known, but do you have any idea what happened when Buu got here and where he is now, Mrs. Brief?"

"Well," Bulma began, "like you said, we don't know much. Chi Chi, Ox King, and I were in the shelter when Buu hit. And he hit hard. This far down, we still had heavy seismic activity. We decided to try to help whoever we could during the attack, and in the process got overwhelmed with refugees. We lost Ox King in the initial attack. Trying to get back indoors, he stayed behind to make sure Chi Chi and I could get the others in. Then after a few hours, when those creeps started going ballistic on all our survivors, one of them got Chi Chi. I iced him afterwards, but it was still too late." Tears were swelling in Bulma's eyes. "It's been a hell of a day. Haven't seen it like this since the Androids were around."

"It's gonna get better," Leon reassured her. "And sooner rather than later."

"You gotta plan?" Bulma asked him.

"Not exactly, but we have to do something to stall Buu from wiping out the rest of the planet until Trunks gets back," he explained.

"You're suggesting we go out and attack Buu?" Bulma exclaimed.

"No," Leon answered solemnly, "I'm suggesting I go out and attack Buu."

"Sweetie, you've had a rough day, you're talking crazy," Bulma replied. "There's no need for more people to die sooner than they have to."

"I won't die," Leon said confidently. "Well, at least not to begin with. I've fought him once already, and he's not that bright. If I can keep him occupied for a few more hours, it should give Trunks enough time to get back here and kick his ass!"

"What are you talking about?" Bulma asked worriedly. "Where is Trunks?"

"He went with the Supreme Kai somewhere to learn some technique to kill Buu with," Leon answered. "Err, that's pretty much it in a nutshell."

"Trunks is a fast learner," Bulma replied overconfidently. "There's no way it could take him this long just to learn one technique. Are you sure he's okay?"

Shell rolled her eyes, "Yes, we're sure Trunks is fine, Mrs. Brief, but we're still running out of time. Has anyone discovered anything that Buu seems to have a weakness to?"

"Not really," Bulma responded. "Everything the military tried had virtually no effect on him. Although we did find that he can be blown apart. I had the opportunity to snatch a piece of his skin and bring it back in here to see if I could find anything it reacted negatively with."

"I'll look into it," Shell suggested. "Do you have the sample set up?"

"It's over there," Bulma said pointing towards a lab desk with different biological tests set up on it. "You know you're more than welcome to work with it, dear."

"Thanks, I will," Shell acknowledged as she ran over to the station.

"Do we know if Buu is still in the city?" Leon asked.

"There's no way for me to tell down here," Bulma replied. "Can you not sense his power level?"

"It's hazy," Leon answered. "Even when we arrived in the city, it was hard to tell. Everywhere that wizard goes it seems harder to lock on to where Buu is."

"Then we'll just have to assume he's still nearby," Bulma concluded.

"Ok, next thing," Leon continued, "You wouldn't happen to have any weapons lying around here would you? Figure any extra firepower would help against Buu."

"What are you interested in?" Bulma asked. "Projectile or melee weapons?"

Leon thought for a second. "Well, there's very little chance I'll even hit Buu with a projectile, so I'll have to go with melee weapons on this one. What have you got?"

"Not much," Bulma replied. "Maybe some of Trunks' training weapons or something, but probably not much that would stand up to hitting Buu. I mean, if missiles don't work, I doubt very seriously a mop handle would do much damage."

"Something's better than nothing, I guess," Leon sighed.

"Mmm," Bulma agreed nodding. "Look over there and see if you can find anything useful."

Leon walked to a corner of the lab to look for anything that could be useful while Bulma turned to check on Shell's progress.

"Any luck?" Bulma asked as she neared the desk.

"Something like that," Shell replied without looking. Shell stared intently into her microscope.

"What do you think?" Bulma asked.

"Peanut oil," Shell replied, still not looking away from her microscope. "And lots and lots of sulfuric acid."

"Peanut oil?!" Bulma asked surprised.

"Buu's molecular structure allows his tiniest cells to hold the elasticity of his complete form," Shell explained. "This means that even when he's blown apart, the pieces of his body are still capable of bending and shaping as though he were in one piece. Think of it like titanium bubble gum. I'm willing to bet that different electrical signals from his nervous system can cause his skin to bond with the air around him too. That would explain why it's so hard to destroy his flesh. If it becomes a vapor, then on a cellular level it can still bond with the different gasses in the air and replicate itself back to Buu's humanoid form. Did the military try napalm on him?"

"Didn't get the chance," Bulma answered. "They were wiped out before they could even initiate a second wave of attack."

"Lead would either bounce off his body or be absorbed into it," Shell theorized. "You would need a compound to strike him before the bullet to cause his flesh to deteriorate. Even then, it's just mostly gonna burn him. Buu would have to take a shower in it for it to kill him."

"Do you think we could evaporate it into the precipitation system?" Bulma questioned Shell.

"Definitely not," Shell answered. "If the compound could eat through Buu's tough skin, there's no way you want that stuff touching the Earth's surface. It'd be like acid rain on steroids!"

"Well what do you think?" Bulma said giving up.

"An intravenous dose," Shell concluded. "From like a syringe or something. And the compound would have to convert from a liquid to a gas as soon as it got inside Buu."

Bulma laughed. "A syringe? I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I don't see Buu waltzing up to you, dropping his big trousers, bending over, and taking one in the ass."

Shell smiled at Bulma's humor. "No, but we might be able to fit small doses of the compound in hollow point bullets."

"So you're gonna put peanut oil and sulfuric acid into hollow points and shoot them at Buu?" Bulma asked her making sure she understood the insanity.

"Geezes, no!" Shell replied quickly. "Peanut oil won't do crap to Buu. The sulfuric acid might burn him, but I want it to severely injure him, not piss him off so he'll kill me. I was just saying that coming up with a proper substance to use on him would display similar characteristics to peanut oil and sulfuric acid."

"Fair enough," Bulma replied. "Use whatever is available here to help you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Brief," Shell said, getting up from her table to start the process of making Buu-poisons.

---

On the other side of the city, Majin Buu walked softly down an alleyway.

"St-stay away from me!" a woman cried as she stumbled backwards into a puddle of rainwater. "Please, don't! Please don't kill me!"

"Kill?" Buu asked. "Why no kill bad lady?"

"Please!" the woman screamed through tears.

Buu stood motionless for a moment. "Why you cry?" he asked.

"Why?!" the woman screamed back. "Why?! Because you're going to kill me, you freak! No one here did anything to you, but you've killed everyone anyway!"

"Buu supposed to kill bad people," Buu replied calmly.

"I'm not a bad person!" the woman screamed back. "None of these people were bad people, but that didn't stop you!"

"Buu hurt people that not bad?" Buu contemplated to himself. "No. These people bad. They leave other pretty lady to die in desert. Pretty lady try to trick Buu!"

"No!" the woman cried. "Please don't hurt me, I'm not trying to trick you!"

"Really?" Buu asked her. "You are really pretty lady. Maybe Buu keep you!" Buu said with a laugh.

"What are you talking about, Majin Buu?" Babidi asked cutting in. "First you get carried away with your human genocide, and then you run off and leave me searching for your big, pink hide! Confound it, Majin Buu, you must be better behaved!"

"Master Babidi," Buu turned and chimed, "Buu find pretty lady! Buu keep pretty lady and take her out!"

"Why is it that the most powerful of creatures always seem to lack a brain?" Babidi asked himself. "Yes that's very touching, Buu, but in case you have forgotten she is part of the city that left the other pretty lady out in the desert to die. Really, Majin Buu, can't you focus on anything other than pretty ladies for more that five minutes?"

"Shut up!" Buu snapped. "You, be quiet!" Buu shouted as he began to grab the sides of his head. "Buu want to keep pretty lady! You want Buu kill her! Stop telling Buu what to do!"

"Just you listen, Majin Buu!" Babidi shouted back. "You are my monster to command, and you will do as I tell you to. Frankly, I don't care if you kill this woman or not, but you are not taking her with us! Is that clear?"

Buu grunted for a moment. "Pretty lady, you want to come with Buu?" he asked the confused and scared woman lying on the ground.

"I-I want to go home," she whispered back crying.

"NO!" Buu shrieked in anger. "It because Buu not pretty enough! Well now Buu hungry so you make good snack! Buu want chocolate!"

As Buu leaned forward, his antenna glowed pink, and a beam of light traveled from it to the woman on the ground. She screamed briefly as she transformed into a small bar of chocolate floating in the air. Buu picked the bar of what had been a young woman up out of the air and immediately choked it down.

"Mmmm," Buu snickered, "Pretty lady taste good. Maybe she have sisters!"

At that, even Babidi gave a slight laugh, and then they began to fly back towards the sky to scout the rest of the city.

---

In a secluded room of the lab, Shell stood looking at a mirror as she changed clothes. She removed the dirt and blood stained jeans and shirt she had worn to the fair with Trunks a day earlier. She used a small, damp towel to clean the small cuts and bruises she had gotten in the desert. She wondered what her parents would think as she began dressing in the black tactical clothes Bulma had given her. As she stared at the image of herself in the mirror, she thought of how much she missed her parents, and now how much she missed Trunks. She looked like she was going to war. She was going to war. As she finished lacing her boot, she glanced at the mirror one last time and left the room.

"You ready?" Leon asked her as she entered the main area of the lab.

"Yeah," Shell said softly. "And you?"

"Wouldn't do any good to be anything other," Leon admitted. "Nice outfit," he complimented.

"I guess," Shell replied indifferently.

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer some armored clothes, Leon?" Bulma asked as she walked up to Leon and Shell.

"I'm sure," Leon answered. "But thank you, Bulma. I'm gonna need all the speed I can get out of my body, and I'm afraid the armor will just weigh me down. Thanks for this lance though, I think it will come in handy fighting Buu."

"Thank Trunks when you see him," Bulma replied. "I won't be able to come with you two, so I want you to be careful. I'll be at the lab escape hatch if you have to retreat back to here, so don't forget to run if you have to. Shell, I finished loading your compound into these." Bulma handed Shell the two pistols she had threatened them with earlier. "And here are four spare clips, plus the two in them. That gives you ninety rounds in all. Good hunting."

"Thanks, Mrs. Brief," Shell said holstering her weapons.

"You're very welcome, sweetie," Bulma replied. "Now go kick some Majin ass."

---

"Over there, Buu!" Babidi shrieked. "Looks like we missed some!"

"Boom! Boom!" Buu chanted as he fired off more energy blasts incinerating a few people fleeing from a building. With the small crowd dead, Buu and Babidi hovered for a moment laughing at their chaos.

"What the–?" Babidi asked suddenly. "Buu look out!" he screamed creating an energy shield around him.

Instantly, the area around Buu became part of a large green explosion. As the smoke cleared, Buu's cape was somewhat singed, and his face showed of severe discomfort.

"Who," Buu grunted, "who stupid to blast Buu?"

"That would be me, you bubblegum experiment gone wrong!" Leon taunted as he floated by overhead. "Tell me, did it tickle or are you just blowing bubbles down there?"

"Buu make you pay!" the pink monster shouted as he flew towards Leon in a rage.

"Bring it on," Leon said to himself as he readied for Buu's attack.

The first visible sign of a fight from Shell's viewpoint on the ground, was the large, white bubble of a sonic boom, that resonated from where Leon and Buu were high above the streets. Knowing there wasn't much she could do from where she was at, she headed into the nearby building to get to its roof.

High above the rooftops, Leon was managing to hold his own against the massively powerful Majin Buu. As Leon fought, each stab and slice with his lance brought him continually closer to the understanding that even with it, he still wasn't putting a scratch on Buu. However, with each blow he failed to block, he also began to realize how strong Buu really was and just how soon Buu would gain the upper hand in this fight. Absorbing one solid hit after another, Leon began to slow down in his fight with the monster. Desperate for a breathing moment from the relentless enemy he faced, Leon spun quickly and recovered, jabbing the end of his lance completely through Majin Buu's chest and immediately followed through with an energy blast to blow the monster backwards.

"Get off my spear," Leon cursed quietly as Majin Buu was pushed away from him.

He floated motionlessly for a moment, doing his best to catch his breath. It seemed almost as if Majin Buu had somehow gotten stronger since he last fought the monster. Down below, Shell had managed to make it to the rooftop of the nearby building.

"Are you okay?" Shell shouted out to him.

"Never felt better," he joked with a sigh.

Without warning, Buu had come from above and brought down both closed fists on Leon's head sending him rocketing into the concrete streets below.

"No!" Shell screamed, aiming her pistols and unloading them into Majin Buu's body.

As the first bullet passed through Majin Buu's body, his skin began to burn and separate as he screamed in painful agony. In a rage, Shell continued to fire every round at Majin Buu, some missing but most finding their mark. With each connecting round, Majin Buu's rubbery texture exploded and disintegrated into reddish-pink ash. As his body continued to burn and dismember, he floated down to the rooftop Shell was on and wailed in pain on the ground in front of her. His painful screams were almost deafening, and Shell watched in horror as the monster suddenly showed very real signs of mortality.

"No!" Babidi screamed in similar agony as he floated down the rooftop. "Insolent brat, you're killing him! My Majin Buu! No!"

Babidi turned and picked Shell up off the ground with his magic. She clutched at her throat, gasping for air, but she was going nowhere fast.

"You!" Babidi cursed. "I never would have thought that my dear Majin Buu would be beaten by a little girl. But unfortunately for you the painless death that Majin Buu had to offer you is now something of the past. I will make sure you suffer for this."

With that, Shell suddenly found that she could breathe again, but as she hang suspended in the air, her entire insides felt like they were on fire. She screamed intensely as the pain increased. Her body shook and jerked as Babidi used every ounce of his power to torture her mind and body. With Leon unconscious on the streets below, and Trunks so far away she couldn't even imagine, she knew that there was no one else to save her. As the pain became too much for her, her screams began to subside, and her body became motionless as she floated in the air. Babidi hesitated and then released his dead victim and watched as Shell fell lifelessly to the rooftop.

"No!!!" Buu screamed behind him.

"I know it hurts Majin Buu," Babidi said softly. "I'm sorry that this stupid girl has done this to you."

"You hurt nice lady," Buu screeched. "You bad wizard!"

"What are you talking about, Buu?" Babidi asked as he turned around. "Have you gone completely ins–?"

Babidi's words fell short. After only a short pink light, Babidi felt a silencing numbness and cold. He looked down and noticed the blood seeping through his flesh just above his beltline. He took a moment, soaking it in; realizing that he had just been slain by his own mindless creation.

"Majin Buu," Babidi stuttered. "Why?"

"You bad wizard," Buu whimpered back as he lay in his own state of immense pain. "You hurt pretty lady. You trick Buu. Buu hurt all good people. You die, Buu die, things be right. Things be right."

Silently, Babidi accepted his fate and fell. Buu grunted and whimpered for a moment, his flesh still on fire. Through moans and pain, Buu raised himself to his feet and stumbled over to where Shell lay.

"Pretty lady did what was right," Buu coughed. "Pretty lady not deserve to die. It Buu's fault."

As the seemingly brutal monster sat evaporating, it began to show a lighter, more serene side of itself. Buu began to cry and placed his hands over Shell's motionless body as he began to attempt to heal her. Through tears and pain, Buu forced as much of his remaining life force out of himself and into Shell's body, as pink fumes began to billow out of the pores in his upper body and spread across the rooftop.

"There," Buu sighed. "You be okay now, pretty lady. Buu saved you."

With that, Buu collapsed next to her. However, the pink mist that moments before had been pouring out of Buu's flesh began to accumulate in one spot and take form. As it materialized, once more a Majin Buu appeared out of the pink, cloudy mist. This one was much different, however. Rather than a plump, pinkish monster with a seemingly three-year-old's mentality, this one was quite thin, grey in color, and sinister-looking eyes. Its transformation was short-lived, because it immediately walked over to the body of the first Buu, outstretched its hand and began absorbing the first Buu into its being.

Amidst shattered concrete and broken pipelines, Leon regained consciousness. As he looked up from his crater in the sewers, Leon first noticed the rain and thunderstorms coming down on the city. And then he noticed the pink cloud above on the rooftop where Shell had been.

"Oh no!" he said getting to his feet.

He quickly dug his lance out of the rubble next to him, and flew towards the rooftop. Once there, he found only the impaled body of the wizard, Babidi, and Shell lying on her side in the pink mist that embodied the floor of the rooftop. He ran to her side.

"Shell!" he shouted shaking her slightly. "Shell! Are you okay? Please be okay!" His eyes began to swell with tears. "I promised Trunks. I promised him that I would keep you safe. Please… Please be okay."

He sat for a moment staring down at her. He felt shame gripping him. He had failed Trunks… and Shell for that matter. Even Kibito earlier that day and that poor man, Hentaro, at the fair; he had failed everyone.

"I'm sorry," Leon cried. "I'm sorry, everyone."

Barely noticeable, Shell sighed lightly.

"Shell?" Leon asked frantically. "Shell, are you alive?"

"Leon?" Shell whispered, looking up at him. "Majin Buu, he… saved me."

"He what?" Leon asked in disbelief. "I think that last hit took it out of you, Shell, you're talking crazy now."

"No!" Shell said louder, sitting up. "Before he died, Majin Buu saved me. Somehow, like Kibito did to you and Trunks, Buu healed me after Babidi tried to kill me."

"If he died," Leon started, "then where is he now?"

With a look of terror, Shell pointed over Leon's right shoulder. The pink mist began collecting in a single spot on the rooftop. And out of the pink cloud came a menacing Majin Buu. No longer childish looking or acting, Majin Buu was now a monster. The creature was tall, taller than Leon or Trunks. Rather than the plump image of the monster before, this Buu was all muscle, no cape, no yellow gloves, instead black wristbands. Because of his severe drop in weight, the white fatigues that had seemed more like a diaper on the fat Buu were now properly displayed on this Buu. And his pink pigmented eyes, seemed all the more menacing than ever now. Leon stood transfixed. With Babidi gone, Leon could now sense all of the monster's strength, and it was limitless.

"I am Majin Buu," the monster relished with a deep, dark voice. "Or rather, Majin Buu as it should have been. You managed to cause a rift between the good and bad sides of Buu." He told Shell. "And after the evil Buu absorbed the power of the good Buu, I was born. I am Super Buu, and the universe is now mine. The good Buu lacked intelligence, the evil Buu lacked power, I lack nothing. And because I am without weakness, your planet and all like it are now mine for the taking."

"I don't think so," Shell argued. "You won't get this planet without a fight, right Leon?"

Leon remained silent, still focusing on Majin Buu's power level.

"Leon?" Shell asked again.

"That's right," Buu said with a taunting laugh. "Your friend there can sense my power. He understands how hopeless your situation is."

"H-he's right," Leon stuttered. "Shell, you can't possibly imagine… His strength. He's even stronger than Trunks, way stronger than Trunks. There is no way we even have a chance."

"Trunks," Shell whispered as tears gathered in her eyes. "Where are you? Why are you taking so long to come back? Can't you see that we need you?"

"Who is this Trunks?" Buu asked.

"Trunks is by far the strongest man in this world," Leon answered.

"We have been fighting you for almost two days now trying to give Trunks time enough to train to get strong enough to beat you," Shell continued. "We may not be able to beat you, but we'll continue to fight you until Trunks returns."

Buu gave a short laugh. "You two could be two million, and you would still not last five minutes with me. Can you promise me, that this human, Trunks, could give me a decent fight?"

Leon's expression changed as he saw an opportunity for them to prolong death at the hands of Majin Buu. "You bet your ass, he would," Leon answered. "If anyone on this planet can beat you, it's Trunks. And I'll be honest, my money's on him. Yeah you'd get a decent fight alright. And if you're real lucky, Trunks might just beat you and not kill you."

"You're cockiness amuses me, human," Majin Buu cut in. "I could very easily destroy the rest of the population of this planet, and the population of this galaxy before sundown tomorrow on this planet. But you've stirred my interest. It's been a trying day and rather than causing complete extinction on the human race today, I will be merciful. I will give your savior, Trunks, a few more hours to see if he can make a difference. This day is over, and I know how you pathetic humans need your sleep. So you two go sleep and gain your strength back, and tomorrow afternoon, before sundown, you will meet me five miles east of this city with this Trunks; if you show up with him, your deaths will be swift and mostly painless. Should you be lying to me now, and there is no Trunks, and you fail to show up tomorrow, I promise you both now that I will hunt you down, and you will beg for death long before I am finished with you. You have my instructions, follow them."

Without further words, Majin Buu turned and took off eastward into the sky.

"What do we do now?" Shell asked Leon.

"What _do_ we do now?" Leon replied. "There's nothing really that we can do. Except wait. I hate to say it, Shell, but this is it. If Trunks isn't back by sundown tomorrow, he won't have a home to come back to."

"I guess we should head back to the shelter," Shell suggested.

"We can," Leon agreed, "but I doubt we'll get much sleep tonight."

"We should have more faith," Shell said positively. "Surely this will give Trunks more time than he needs. He'll be back by tomorrow morning, you'll see. Majin Buu just signed his own death warrant by giving us this much time. Now Trunks will be back early, and between the three of us Majin Buu doesn't stand a chance."

"I hope you're right, Shell," Leon replied softly. "I hope that you're right."

As they gathered their tattered weapons, Leon flew them back to the shelter at Capsule Corp Mansion.


	14. Chapter 14: Future Fortold

Chapter 14: Future Fortold

"We're here," Shin announced. "The Kai Temple. This is where your final training will take place, Trunks."

"Then we need to hurry, Supreme Kai," Trunks replied seriously. "I think we're running out of time."

It seemed that the heightened intuition that the Z Sword gave him also boosted his ability to sense power levels. And for whatever reason, the void, evil aura that the Earth had once displayed had vanished and was replaced by a power level he knew could only be Majin Buu's. It was intense, even stronger than he was. But the past hours spent on the Kai's Planet had taught him that strength was definitely not the only thing that wins a battle. Leon and Shell, he could sense that they were alive and well. West City was vastly less populated, it must mean that Buu had already attacked there. He could also sense that his mother was alive, but Chi Chi and Ox King's life forces were missing. His fists clenched heavily. He knew what had happened. Now the monster had slain even his best friend's mother and grandfather.

"I will make it pay," Trunks said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you will," Shin replied. "But first, come with me."

Trunks followed, as the Supreme Kai led him out of the clouds and down to a vast stone temple at least a two hundred feet high. Even the pale doors that waited atop the fifty feet of stairs, and behind the enormous columns drew as much respect as they did mass. Trunks was in awe.

"Impressive," Shin boasted, "isn't it? I wish we had time to tour it, Trunks, but I'm afraid we haven't the time now. Perhaps another time?"

"Sure," Trunks replied as he stared at the towering ceilings and huge glass windows.

Shin walked to one of the attendants at the end of the great hall. "Is he here?" Shin asked the attendant quietly.

The attendant nodded silently and responded in a whisper in the Supreme Kai's ear.

Trunks was several feet away and clearly out of earshot, but he could swear that he heard the attendant respond about a room in the west wing. Trunks smiled to himself. He was beginning to like the Z Sword and the new powers it granted him.

"This way," Shin motioned.

"To the west wing?" Trunks agreed. He smiled at the attendant as he passed, but the attendant had much less than a smile to offer in return.

"Indeed," Shin confirmed with a smile. "Impressive. It's astonishing to see that a creature other than a Kai could so quickly meld with Z Sword. Most impressive."

They continued to walk a short distance through several more large corridors until they arrived at the door Shin had been instructed to find.

"This is it, Trunks," Shin said with a smile. "You will only be in this room for as long as you take."

"You're not going with me?" Trunks asked with a frown.

"There is nothing that I can add to the training you will receive in that room, my friend," the Supreme Kai gleamed. "Take as long as you feel you need, and take with you whatever you want. All you will need is your heart. Remember this, Trunks, before you go. The strongest hearts are those that understand that what they want are not always what should be. Before the end you will understand these words. Go now, and finish your training. We must return to Earth with haste."

Trunks nodded. "I'll be right back," he said as he opened the door.

The Supreme Kai's innocent stare vanished as the door closed behind Trunks. The room was dark, except for the blinding light of the setting sun leaking through the one open window against the back wall. A shadowy figure stood staring out the window.

"Hello?" Trunks asked as he moved towards the center of the room.

The shadow of the figure in the light blotted out the direct sunlight in the window as it fell upon Trunks. This gave the figure a sort of hazy aura as the fleeting light blanketed around its body and onto the surrounding floor. As Trunks came closer, an icy chill ran down his spine. The figure that stood in the light was the same shadow he had fought for hours in the wilds of the Kai Planet as he trained. At first, he was alarmed and instantly reached for his sword. But then, his heightened intuition told him exactly what was going on.

"G-Gohan?" Trunks whispered to the shadowy figure.

The figure turned slowly and then walked away from the window towards Trunks. Trunks moved slightly aligning the window to his left and the shadow directly in front of him, but keeping it in the light. Slowly, the shadowy mist floated away, and a familiar face greeted him with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, Trunks," Gohan said with a big smile.

Tears swelled in Trunks' eyes as he stood silent and still.

"You've become so strong since I last saw you, little brother," Gohan continued. "You grew up, you destroyed those androids, and you became a nameless hero in our world. I'm very proud of you. And as I've watched over you these past few weeks, it seems now you're in love too… Wow, you've grown so much since I left you."

"I can't believe it's you," Trunks said softly. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Never?" Gohan asked. "In all your adventures and travels, you seriously thought it would be impossible that you would ever see me again? I taught you better than that," he said with a laugh.

"I-I'm sorry," Trunks said disappointed.

"For what?" Gohan asked. "Doubting? It is in all our natures to doubt, Trunks. For that, you should not be sorry."

"Yes, Master," Trunks quickly responded.

Gohan gave a slight laugh. "My friend, my brother, I am no longer your master. I have taught you all that I had to offer. And you have learned far more than just what I taught you. You are your own master now. You have a very bright future ahead of you; difficult, but bright. I can sense it."

"The Supreme Kai brought me here to receive special training from you so that I can beat a new monster that threatens our home, Gohan," Trunks informed him.

"Yes," Gohan acknowledged, "yes, I know. But as I said there is no knowledge left for me to give you that you cannot acquire on your own. All I can offer you is comfort."

"Comfort of what?" Trunks asked confused.

"Listen closely, Trunks," Gohan instructed. "There is not much time left. The setting sun in this window symbolizes how much time you have left before you must return home. Majin Buu is stronger than before. He underwent some sort of transformation. You can beat him, but only if you trust me. Your friends cut a deal with Buu to give you more time to get back to Earth, but at sundown, time is up, and Buu will destroy the entire planet. Buu is a powerful adversary, and not to be taken lightly. It will require all of your power to beat him, and, unfortunately, you know what must happen to unlock that power."

"My friends?" Trunks asked shakily. "My friends have to die?!"

"Their fate is uncertain," Gohan clarified. "The only certainty is that you hold their lives in the palm of your hands. One wrong slip, and everything you hold dear will be gone. You must tread carefully, Trunks. Your adventure does not end here, though. Your adventure only begins here. There will be others after Buu, you know this. But right now, we must focus only on the threat at hand. You must understand and train your heart to understand that no matter what happens in the coming hours, that it is for some reason. One which none of us may know the answer to. You will have to accept the outcome of this battle for what it will be. I fear you will win the battle, but it will leave you scarred. A wound that only you may heal."

"I don't want to hear any more," Trunks said tearfully. "I'm going to save my friends and my world. No one else is going to die, except Buu. I promise."

"May you be right," Gohan said blessfully. "I hope it is so. But as I told you, there is still more to tell you. However, we do not have the time. Perhaps when this battle is over, if you return here we can finish this conversation. Remember, Trunks, when the sun sets in this window your time is up. Your training is complete, use what I have told you well. Do not underestimate Buu's power and remember to use every ounce of power you have. If you don't then you will fall. Along with all those you love. My time here was allotted before I agreed to come here to see you, my friend. My time is almost up, as is yours here. Before you go, just remember that I am proud of you, and that no matter what happens down there, it will not be anything that you cannot handle if you keep your heart, mind, and body focused on the goal. I will see you again, my friend, but we both must go. Goodbye, Trunks."

"Gohan!" Trunks shouted as he watched Gohan's image fade into the light in the window and pass away. "…Gohan." After a few seconds clearing away the tears in his eyes, Trunks looked at the window again. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. "I've got to get moving!"

The door bolted open as Trunks emerged from the chamber.

"Supreme Kai!" Trunks shouted. "Supreme Kai we have to get out of here now!"

"Wh-what?!" Shin asked as Trunks grabbed his arm and dragged him along.

"If we don't get back to Earth before the sun sets, Buu will take the whole planet apart!" Trunks shouted frantically.

"Okay! Okay!" Shin cried back shaking Trunks lose of his arm so that he could run on his own. "As soon as we get out of the temple, I'll get a bearing on their position on Earth and warp us back!"

"Great," Trunks called out with a serious smirk. "Just make sure to keep up."

With that, Trunks' Super Saiyan form erupted around him, and his speed increased exponentially as he bolted for the great hall leading out of the temple.


	15. Chapter 15: Final Battle

Chapter 15: Final Battle

"It's time, Leon," Shell informed her friend as she finished loading and holstering her pistols. "It's sundown, so we need to go meet Trunks outside the city to fight Buu."

"Yeah, I know," Leon agreed as he finished strapping up his armored clothing Bulma had given him.

"That armor is alien material," Bulma informed him. "It's something that belonged to Trunks' father. It gives you the same flexibility and agility as you have with no clothes, yet the durability and padding of several layers of Kevlar. It's truly remarkable. And the chest plate is also designed to withstand amazing amounts of pressure. Also I modified the back of the chest plate to hold your lance."

"Thank you, Bulma," Leon replied thoughtfully.

"You two are the bravest kids I know," Bulma continued. "Well, I guess you're not kids, are you? I'm just getting older now, so all of you are kids to me. Just promise me that you'll be careful. I don't know what has taken Trunks so long, but he is his father's son, and they have a knack for arriving in just the nick of time. So don't worry, he'll be there with you soon. Just be careful."

"Yes ma'am," Leon and Shell said together.

"Good luck," Bulma said to herself, as the two flew away on the horizon.

---

It was a silent flight to the outskirts of West City. Both Leon and Shell knew that they had no chance of beating Buu without Trunks' help. It was suicide to even stand and face the monster.

"Do you think–?" Leon started.

"Of course he will," Shell stated confidently cutting him off. He promised he would. She thought back on all the time she had spent with the man she fell in love with. She knew beyond shadow of doubt there was no way he would leave them to die at the hands of a monster. "Trunks will make it in time," she stated. "Even if we die, he'll still make it in time."

Leon didn't like the way that sounded. It was almost like she didn't care if they died that day fighting something they couldn't possibly defeat. To Leon, it seemed like she had changed in the short time he had known her. She seemed almost valiant to him… or stupid, he wasn't sure. She was so sure that Trunks would be there to save them, that Leon couldn't help but admire her love and trust in Trunks. She trusted him even with her life.

"We're here," Leon said breaking the silence.

"How do you know?" Shell replied.

"Because that's Majin Buu right there," Leon said pointing with his one free hand down at the ground.

They dropped slowly out of the sky and landed a short distance away from the monster, Majin Buu. The rocky earth gritted under the weight of their feet as Leon let Shell down off his back. Shell stepped around to Leon's side and they stood ready to face destiny in the sunset across the rocky desert border of West City.

"Where's the other?" Majin Buu asked coldly. "You promised me a fight with someone strong, and you two are the only one's to show up."

"He's not back yet," Shell replied quickly. "So I guess we'll have to fight you until Trunks gets here."

Leon's expression turned to a look of sadness. He knew this would not be pretty.

"Your world is about to end," Buu muttered, "and you still think that you have a chance. It's somewhat humorous."

"Humorous, huh?" Shell asked. "Well, we'll see how funny it is when Trunks is beating the shit out you."

"Shell," Leon interrupted, "Please, I know that we had hoped that Trunks would make it back in time, but look around. We were wrong."

"What?" Shell asked in disbelief. Tears dropped slowly from her eyes.

"Face it," Leon admitted sadly, "We're not going to make it out of here alive. I know Trunks we'll make it back, but not in time for us."

"Do you really believe that?" Shell asked.

Leon stood still and silent.

"He's right you know," Buu agreed. "Whatever your friend had planned, he's not here to save you. And if he has any sense, he's probably running as far as he can right now. Because when I find him, he'll face the same end as you are about to. So if it makes you feel any better, you should see him soon."

Following a cynical smile, Buu charged up and flew towards Shell, preparing to strike hard and deadly. Shell gasped as he neared her, but she had nowhere near the amount of speed it would take to dodge Buu's attack. She watched helplessly as the monster prepared to kill her. As Buu closed in for the kill, Leon instantly pushed Shell out of the way and took the full force of Buu's punch. The blow to the chest would have impaled Shell, but rather she fell to the ground several feet away. Upon impact, Leon lurched forward in response to the heavy hit to his middle and flew backwards at blazing speeds, passing through a mound of rock and dirt, crumbling it as he passed out the other side. Stunned, Shell took a minute to figure out what had happened all so quickly. As she picked herself up off the rocky desert floor, she wiped away the dirt from the side of her face.

"Leon?!" she shouted.

"Oops," Buu answered in Leon's place, "Looks like I missed. That was very considerate of him, but it won't make much of a difference."

Buu slowly walked towards Shell. She stumbled, trying to get to her feet and put any distance between herself and Majin Buu that she could.

"Don't run," Buu taunted cynically. "If you make me chase you, I'll only torture you longer."

Frantically, Shell continued to back away, drawing her pistols and taking aim.

"Please," Buu said stopping his pursuit, "do you really think that is going to work this time? Make it easy on yourself. Use them on yourself. It would be less painful, I think."

Buu's maniacal laughter struck a very chilling chord all through Shell's body. The undeniable, horrifying truth came out. He was right. She lowered her aim from Majin Buu.

"Trunks…" Shell whispered. "Where are you?"

Buu laughed heavily again. "How foolish you are!" he shouted. "Even now, as your life is about to be obliterated, you think this Trunks is going to save you. Let me end your hope."

Buu outstretched his hand in Shell's direction. Pink energy began to resonate into a single spot in the center of his palm. But before Buu could release his attack, the razor sharp point of a lance expelled out of his chest. The energy attack faded, as did Buu's sadistic smile, as he looked down.

"Oops," Leon taunted, equally sadistic, "Looks like I missed too. I was aiming for your black heart, guess you just don't have one."

Buu screamed in anger and pain. Callously, Leon ripped the tip of the lance out Buu's side and spun it around to gain momentum and strike Buu on the other side of his body. Stunned, Buu's body leaned towards the lance's strike point, and Leon let loose a small, green energy blast, knocking Buu a short distance away.

"Are you okay?" Leon asked Shell.

"I'm fine," she replied. She noticed him holding his side. "Are you okay?" she asked walking towards him.

"Never felt better," Leon answered sarcastically. "Just a few broken ribs, I've had worse… Shell get back!"

Leon grabbed his lance with both hands and prepared for attack. Buu had regained himself and flew back to where Leon stood. Leon managed to block a few attacks initially, but Buu quickly gained the upper hand. First slowing Leon down, Buu continued to pound on him until he was stunned. Then, Buu grasped his right hand around Leon's throat and lifted him off the ground. Buu readied his left hand for a menacing energy attack, but before he could land it, Leon raised his lance again and stabbed deeply into Buu's chest until it emitted out the monster's back.

Rather than screaming in pain, Buu remained calm. "Pathetic human," Buu grunted. "Your kind never learns do they?"

Leon's hard expression didn't change with Buu's insult. His eyes stayed locked with Buu's, and his grip on the end of his lance tightened. Buu hesitated, but then squeezed tightly on Leon's throat causing him to flinch hard. The monster's flexible skin pulled the lance from Leon's hand and manipulated it around Buu's body so that it was pointed back at Leon.

"Your fight is over," Buu said grinning.

Leon felt the heavy thrust and sharp pain of his lance pass through his chest. He grunted softly and coughed a small amount of blood.

"NO!" he could hear Shell screaming from a short distance away.

He could still feel the pressure of the lance in his body, but as the pain slowly subsided, a subtle feeling of numbness began to replace it. His vision became hazy. And slowly, he felt his consciousness slip from him. His eyes closed, and his head dropped. Buu cast Leon's impaled body to the ground carelessly.

"One down," Buu stated with an evil smile, "one to go…"

He turned to face Shell. As she looked back, the monster stood indifferent to the fact that it had just impaled her friend… uncaring that it had destroyed the vast population of West City… and completely hardened to the idea that it was about to destroy the entire world, then the universe. It was evil, evil at its very core.

"Trunks," Shell said softly to herself, "I love you…"

She took aim with both pistols and began firing as quickly and accurately as she could at the monster before her. But helplessly she watched as Buu raised his hand and stopped each bullet in its track. She fired until the clicking of both empty guns was the only sound amidst the silent desert. Twenty motionless, lead pellets floated harmlessly in front of Majin Buu. Buu stared past the suspended bullets at Shell for a moment. As she gazed back into his empty pink eyes, she could see a hint of conflict. It seemed almost like the monster was debating its purpose, unable to make a clear and concise choice. Buu blinked, and the conflict was gone.

"Die," he muttered.

As he easily manipulated his energy in front of him, the suspended bullets turned and rocketed back to their origin.

---

With the Supreme Kai still on the opposite side of the great hall, Trunks bolted out of the towering twin doors of the temple. Then he felt it. Although millions of miles away, he could feel the deepest of losses as though he were right next to it.

"Shell…" he muttered shakily, but then shouted, "SHELL!!!"

He continued to scream, intensifying his pitch, until suddenly he vanished. When Trunks' eyes opened he found himself in the rocky, parched earth of a desert. In front of him, Shell lay in a puddle of her own blood. It seeped through the multiple entrance wounds in her chest and abdomen. Tearfully, Trunks dropped to his knees and lifted her up in his arms.

"Shell," Trunks sobbed. "Shell, I'm so sorry! I should have been back sooner. I'm so sorry!"

"Trunks," Shell coughed, as she looked up at him. "You did make it back in time. I knew you would. You have to save the world, Trunks."

"But I couldn't even save you," Trunks continued to cry.

"Yes, you did," Shell replied. "You came back to me. I just wanted you to know that I love you, Trunks Brief."

"I love you too, Shell," Trunks replied softly.

"I know," she told him. "I'm just sorry that it ended this way, Trunks. I wish things could have been different. Just always know that I loved you."

"I love you, Shell!" Trunks shouted crying harder. "Please, don't leave me! I love you!"

"I love you," she whispered with a painful smile, her eyes beginning to close.

Through tears and unrelenting pain, Trunks closed his eyes with her and kissed her. But he felt nothing. Her life force was gone. The lips he kissed were devoid of the woman he loved. She was gone. The one person he had hoped to save most was gone. His heart had sunk so low he was sure it was behind his stomach. His head was spinning, and he felt sick at his stomach. His entire body began to fall numb, and tears continued to stream even more heavily now.

"No!" he cried aloud, cuddling her body in his own. "NO!!!"

"Trunks!" Shin exclaimed, suddenly appearing from nowhere. "How in the world did you manage to… oh!" The Supreme Kai fell silent as he saw Trunks holding the lifeless body of his love in his arms. "Oh, my," Shin said quietly. "Trunks, I–. I am so sorry…"

"I take it that you're the Trunks these lunatics have been going on about then?" Buu shouted from several feet away. "They lied to me. I can sense your power, and I'm twice as strong as you. So with that in mind, don't worry; you'll be with her very soon."

Trunks' eyes snapped open. "Supreme Kai," Trunks instructed, "take Leon and Shell's body back to my mother's house in West City. Tell her to take care of Leon, his life force is weak."

"Trunks, I must stay and help y–," Shin tried to begin.

"GO!" Trunks shouted angrily. "You can come back after you've gotten them out of here. This is my fight. I'm sorry."

"I understand," Shin replied softly.

He flew over and removed the lance from Leon's upper chest. He picked up the earthling's body and flew back over to Trunks.

"I'll be back soon," Shin reminded Trunks.

Trunks just nodded, tears still in his eyes as he lowered Shell's body back to the ground. Shin knelt down and touched her on the shoulder, then the three of them vanished leaving only Trunks behind with the monster.

"So can we get this fight going now?" Buu interrupted again. "I have so many galaxies to destroy and so little time."

"The only thing left to be destroyed today is you," Trunks said grimly. "I promise you, Buu, I will make you pay for every person that you've killed today, every one!!! And you killed Shell… You even killed some of my family. For them, you will die. Make no mistake."

"You're certainly full of yourself, kid," Buu mocked. "But enough talk, seeing is believing, kid, so come show me what you've got."

"You want to see power?" Trunks asked angrily. He didn't smile. "Here it comes…"

Trunks stood up straight, his clinched fists turned up in front of him. His power level began to rise exponentially. As it did, the earth began to rumble. Clouds gathered overhead. As thunderstorms began to emerge in the desert, it seemed as if the entire planet shared in Trunks' embracing rage. Trunks began to think to himself. All of West City, Chi Chi, Ox King, and now Shell. Especially Shell. Buu killed them all with no mercy whatsoever. He should have been there for them. They died because he wasn't there to save them. It was his fault, his… Then it happened.

With those thoughts on his mind, Trunks had managed to unleash his entire fury once again. What seemed only accessible in his subconscious sleep and meditation, he had managed to harness and bring out. He screamed chillingly as his eyes faded in the overwhelming white of his eyes. His aura doubled in size, and the ground crumbled under his feet from the emitting energy. The shockwave sent a radius of dust flying away from him, and even Majin Buu brought up a forearm to shield himself from the debris. His Super Saiyan hair began to lose its wavy form to a much more rigid and straight vertical pattern. Small streaks of blue electric sparks jumped from point to point around his body. The storm began to billow in the skies, following the example Trunks was setting. As Trunks' green eyes became visible again, he relaxed his tensed body for a moment, and stopped his yell. Shell's death had awakened his conscious control of Super Saiyan 2. As Trunks glared at Majin Buu, his mood was nothing close to cocky with his newfound power. It was rage.

Majin Buu's grin had faded quickly. A look of concern and caution had replaced it. As Buu felt for Trunks' power level, he felt a very mortal chilling shock. Trunks was stronger than he was.

"How is this possible?" Buu muttered.

Without answer, Trunks charged at Buu striking with a flying kick hard into the side of Buu's face. As Buu's body began to fly backwards, Trunks was already behind him, and brought down both closed fists, hammering Buu into the ground. Dirt and rock exploded around Buu as he was plowed into a small crater on the desert floor.

"For Kibito," Trunks muttered angrily, as he floated above Buu's body.

Buu shook his head, clearing his shock at the boy's amazing abilities. He glared up at Trunks, and then shouted heavily as he exploded off the ground towards Trunks. Buu swung hard at Trunks, but the Super Saiyan easily stopped the force of Buu's blow with a single hand. Buu's eyes widened, a streak of panic flowing through. Trunks' open hand suddenly clenched Buu's fist, twisting the rubbery bone structure in Buu's hand. Buu shouted loudly in pain. But just as mercilessly as the monster had hurt the people of Earth, Trunks showed no remorse. Trunks drew back and punched Buu hard in the side of the face, stunning him. With Buu disoriented, Trunks dashed toward the ground with Buu, slamming the monster into the ground once again, only now with Trunks saddling the monsters torso. Trunks sat, pounding relentlessly on Majin Buu's face. Over and over, punch after punch, Trunks proceeded to literally beat the pink out of Buu. As the force of Trunks' blows increased, small, pink pieces of Buu's face would splatter off and slowly crawl across the desert floor back to Buu's body to merge.

Extremely angry with the turn of events, Buu's rage set in as he attempted to throw Trunks off of him. Trunks attempted one last straight punch into Buu's face, but his fist sank straight through Buu's head. Buu's head deformed moving his facial features around like floating leaves in a pool of pink bubble gum. As Buu's mouth drifted around the side of Trunks' entrapped hand, it smiled and let out a gruesome laugh. Trunks frowned hard as he brought his other hand up to Buu's misplaced face and blasted it with a small energy beam. The energy attack silenced Buu's laughter and splattered most of the monster's elastic head area, but the pink shrapnel simply dripped off of Trunks and crawled across the ground to sink back into the monster's main form. As Buu reformed his head, his flesh drug Trunks' hand down his body and out to where Buu's arm was. Trunks felt the squishy release of Buu's grip on his hand into the very solid grip of Buu's closed hand. Trunks readied his left hand to swing at the creature, but Buu blocked it with his corresponding hand. Buu extended the length of his neck to head butt Trunks, and then kicked the Super Saiyan high up into the air with both feet. As Trunks flew upward, he launched another energy ball back at Buu. Majin Buu dodged it, and flew up after Trunks. They rocketed around the stormy, desert skies, swapping blows and fighting fiercely, each trying to gain the upper hand.

Down on the desert floor, Shin reappeared. Silently he looked around in the sky, tracing the two super powers' energy signals. Shin cast a look of concern.

"What is he doing?" Shin asked himself. "If he used the Z Sword on Buu, this fight would be over already…"

The Supreme Kai powered up and flew off into the sky after Trunks.

The battle raged between Majin Buu and Super Saiyan 2 Trunks. Though slightly stronger than the monster, Trunks still struggled to land hits on Buu. Buu's ability to catch Trunks' punches with the elasticity of his own body made it particularly difficult to get a solid hit. Then Trunks remembered Buu always tried to dodge energy attacks, so he figured that they must do the most damage. As Trunks flew towards Buu, and the monster readied for the attack, Trunks disappeared from in front of Buu, and reappeared behind him, elbowing Buu in the kidney area. Buu's body straightened, flinching from the hit. Trunks again disappeared and reappeared in front of Buu. He dug his fist deep into the creature's gut, then vanished and struck Buu in the back of the head with a roundhouse kick. The momentum knocked Buu spinning forward in the air. Buu regained control, and turned to face his enemy. Buu thought he could hear the faint shout of Trunks screaming something like "Finish Buster" and then looked slightly overhead to see a giant energy ball raining down at him. Buu shrouded his body with both forearms, but as the energy attack engulfed around Buu, it exploded sending Buu rocketing towards the ground. The poor monster traveled through a mountain and a canyon wall on its way to the ground, and as it hit, Buu lay in the crater he had made for a moment.

"Where could this kid have gotten this kind of power from?" Buu asked himself as he pulled his body up out of the crater and crawled back up to the level surface of the desert.

As Buu crawled up onto the desert floor, he heard the audible sound of a sword scraping its sheath, and then there was a white blade in front of his face. Buu looked up as the shine of a sword sparkled in Trunks' outstretched hand.

"And all that was for the people of West City," Trunks smirked. "Now get up."

Buu rose to his feet, sword tip at his throat.

"You know this sword," Trunks said.

Buu nodded.

"Then you know what is about to happen," Trunks continued.

Buu's expression changed. His look became that of anger.

"Finish it," Supreme Kai spoke up.

Trunks and Buu looked over to see the Supreme Kai standing in the distance.

"Strike, Trunks, and put an end to all of this," Shin instructed.

Trunks and Buu looked back at one another.

"Yes," Buu grunted, "kill me. And then I can hail down destruction in all the after life. I'll find your woman, and I'll make her hurt. She'll cry and she'll hurt for this day, Trunks. She'll be the one to pay for your power."

"Don't listen to that," Shin reasoned. "With Buu dead, even if his evil spirit can manage to make it to the after life, it will be imprisoned in the deepest pits of darkness for all the loss of life it is responsible for."

"But I'll be back," Buu argued. "One way or another, I'll be back. I'll make you and all you care about pay for this."

Trunks stood silent for a moment, still staring into the eyes of his enemy. "Then I guess there's only one solution," Trunks concluded. "I just have to make sure there is nothing left of you to make into the after life or anywhere else for that matter."

Buu's eyes widened. "What?!" he asked, but received no reply.

Trunks twisted the sword ninety degrees in his palm and spun around to baseball swing the sword, broadside, into the side of Buu's face. Buu screamed immensely as his body cart wheeled across the rocky ground.

"What are you doing?!" Shin exclaimed running up to Trunks. "You're going to doom us all if you don't finish this!"

"Do you want to fight him?" Trunks asked the Supreme Kai holding out the Z Sword to him.

Shin took a step backwards.

"Alright, then," Trunks replied. "Let me take care of this."

As Buu landed in the dirt, he jumped up screaming and holding the side of his face. The impact from the Z Sword had burned off a small bit of the side of Buu's head, leaving a blistering scar.

"You'll die for that," Buu cursed.

"No!" Trunks shouted back. "You'll die, Majin Buu, for every person you killed today! And I won't stop until I'm sure there's nothing left of you to rein destruction down upon those in death either. Today, you will be erased from existence. I will see to that."

"Well, we'll see about that," Buu replied as he took flight and charged towards Trunks.

Trunks took a defensive stance, bringing the Z Sword up next to him. When Buu neared him, Trunks swung, but Buu had disappeared before the blow fell. Trunks realized his mistake, but too late. A sharp pain came from behind Trunks as Buu's clenched fist struck hard against the back of the saiyan's head. Trunks flew forward across the rocky earth, tumbling as he hit. He had only just managed to hold onto the Z Sword as he tried to regain his footing.

"Catch!" Buu shouted as he fired several energy blasts at Trunks, striking him several times.

Again, Trunks found himself being tossed across the desert sands like a rag doll. With a grunt, Trunks' grip on the hilt of the Z Sword slipped, and the sword fell from his hands and landed, blade down, in the sand.

"No!" Shin yelled out as he saw the blade land in the ground. He knew that the Z Sword was Trunks' only chance at beating the monster.

The Supreme Kai powered up and flew in quickly delivering a swift blow to Buu's back. However off guard, Buu still barely flinched at the force of Shin's kick.

"What was that?" Buu asked, turning to face the Supreme Kai. "Oh, I see now," the monster continued, "You're that little bug that imprisoned me last time. You're very persistent to be still getting in my way after all these years."

"So long as there's breath in me," Shin replied, "I plan to see that I'm always in your way, Majin Buu."

Buu laughed lightly and then responded, "So therein lies the problem, huh? I just have to persuade you to stop breathing… That sounds easy enough."

The Supreme Kai's face displayed a look of fear. He fired several large energy attacks at the monster. Unfortunately as the dust cleared, the cloudy silhouette of Majin Buu still stood front of him.

"Like this!" Buu shouted forming a giant energy ball over his head with one hand.

Buu tossed the energy blast at the Supreme Kai, the explosion causing Shin to skid and tumble across the desert floor.

Trunks had managed to find his way back into the fight and flew in kicking Buu in the side. The kick managed to knock Buu several feet away, but he stopped himself mid-flight and rocketed back towards Trunks returning the favor in his gut. Trunks hunched forward grabbing his stomach. Taking the opportunity, Buu drew back and smashed his fist into Trunks' back, knocking him to the ground. Buu walked coolly around Trunks' battered body. Trunks coughed and attempted to get up off the ground, but was knocked back into the dirt with a single kick from Buu.

"I give you this, kid," Buu said as he circled Trunks, "you're pretty strong, especially for a human." Buu paused to kick Trunks' face back into the dust. "You almost had me… Almost. You got all pissed off because I killed that little bitch, but then you got reckless. And now here you lay."

Trunks looked up from the dirt. Blood ran down his nose and lip, and dirt was smeared across his cheeks and brow. But his face displayed a vivid look of rage.

"You should have stayed on whatever planet you were on," Buu taunted. "At least then you would have had a head start on outrunning my wave of destruction. You came back to save your friends. That worked out well, huh?" Buu paused to kick Trunks again. "Eh, that looked like it hurt. Well, if it makes you feel any better, and I hope it doesn't, just know that they both begged for their miserable little lives before I killed them."

Trunks rolled over onto his back to look up at the monster. He glared at Buu, but said nothing.

"You look angry," Buu said jokingly. "And you look like you're in a lot of pain. Very well, let me end your suffering, just as I did for your friends."

Buu lifted one hand above his head and formed a small pink energy orb. Trunks stared up at Buu, then looked off to his right at the Z Sword embedded in the ground. As Buu laughed, the energy ball became larger and larger, until it was several hundred feet in diameter.

"Die now," Buu uttered.

As Buu readied to bring the energy attack down at point blank on Trunks, the young Saiyan's aura erupted around him. Trunks fired an energy beam straight into Buu's face and jumped up off the ground and swept Buu's feet out from under him. As Buu fell towards the ground, the giant energy ball came with him. Trunks did his best to quickly bring up an energy shield around him as Buu's attack hit the desert floor and exploded, causing and huge crater and blinding light. Hundreds of feet away, Shin shielded himself with his arms from the flying debris from the explosion. As the cloud of dust cleared, Trunks pulled himself to his feet quickly, and immediately surveyed the surrounding area for signs of Buu. The explosion had knocked Buu to another corner of the crater, and Trunks used the opportunity to fly over and pick up the Z Sword from its resting place.

"Now you must finish this," Shin reminded Trunks.

Trunks nodded and turned to face Majin Buu, who had just pulled himself out of the pile of dust and rubble he had fallen under.

"They didn't beg for their lives," Trunks said angrily, "and neither will I."

Buu said nothing initially, but after wiping the dirt from his face he glared at Trunks and replied, "We'll see."

Buu grunted angrily and then flew at Trunks. The monster struck left handed at Trunks, but the Super Saiyan moved backwards and defended with an upward slice from the Z Sword. Buu screamed intensely as his severed hand flew through the air, dissipating into nothing before it ever touched the ground.

"For my brother's mother and grandfather," Trunks whispered.

Trunks walked towards the staggering, beaten monster, Majin Buu.

"For Leon!" he screamed, slicing Buu's leg off just above the knee.

Buu screamed in agony, not only did he lose each limb permanently, but it also continued to burn his main body. He began to fly away from Trunks slowly. Trunks uplifted and floated up to Buu. He smashed the hilt of the sword into Buu's face, burning him and sending him crashing to the ground.

"Get up!" Trunks said brutally as he sheathed his sword.

As Buu floated slowly off the ground to a hover, Trunks began forming his Burning Attack.

"Catch this!" Trunks shouted as he fired the attack down at Buu.

As Trunks knew he would, Buu flew upwards to dodge the incoming energy blast. But when Buu looked up from the explosion below him, Trunks came straight down, planting the Z Sword straight through the creature's forehead down through its torso. Buu's eyes dilated, and his body froze.

"For Shell," Trunks said softly to Buu.

"What for you?" Buu asked painfully.

"There is nothing left for me," Trunks replied just as painfully.

Shin watched from the ground as the monster Majin Buu slowly melted away and disintegrated off of the Z Sword. The battle was over.


	16. Chapter 16: Broken Promises

Chapter 16: Broken Promises

Amidst a small memorial service outside the desecrated building that used to be Capsule Corp Mansion, Master Roshi stood before Trunks, Bulma, Leon, and Shin. "My friends, we are here today to mourn the loss of three dear friends," he began. "I had the pleasure of knowing two of these dearly lost. One was a good friend of mine I knew for many years. One was the wife to my greatest student. The third I never really had the pleasure of knowing personally. But of what I have heard and seen, she must have been a very brave soul. And she was strong. She was strong because she believed that no matter how bad things get, they will always get better. She was strong because she never gave up. She believed that even in darkness, there was light. And it seems to me, that if I had to pick something to believe in, I'd say that what Shell Waters died for would be the things worth believing in."

Trunks stood painfully silent through Master Roshi's entire eulogy. He stared at the words engraved on Shell's tombstone. It read, "Never give up…" He wondered to himself why she had to die. It wasn't fair that she should have to die just so that he could save the world. She didn't deserve that.

"In a world of doubt and trouble," Master Roshi continued, "I think we could all use more people like these three that lie here today. What they stood for was what was right and just. Should we ever forget these things, then what they stood for died with them. They stood when they were outmatched and outclassed. They stood when they knew that there was no chance. But because they stood, they showed the world exactly what being a hero is all about. Chi Chi, Ox King, and Shell, we will always remember what you all so valiantly showed us, and we will miss you. But one day, we will be together again. Until that day, may your spirits have peace and rest."

Bulma walked by each gravesite, casting a rose on each one. Leon followed behind her, as did Trunks. Trunks stopped at Shell's grave, tears filled his eyes. He dropped to his knees.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he cried. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to save you. I promised I would be, but I wasn't. I hope maybe you could find a way to forgive me, Shell. And maybe one day you can help me find a way to forgive myself. I love you, and I miss you. I will always miss you. Say hello to your parents for me. I hope you'll have something good to tell them about me. One day, I'll find you again, Shell. I don't know how, but I'll find a way. I love you. I'll never forget you."

Through painful tears, Trunks lay a rose above the other two, around where Shell's chest would be. He returned to his feet and stared at her tombstone as Leon and Bulma each put a comforting hand on his shoulders. He turned to Leon. They didn't speak, but the understanding was clear. It was a silent thank you. Leon had protected Shell to the very end, and in the end with his life. Trunks was eternally grateful. It was a miracle that Leon survived his wound. An inch lower, and Buu would have killed him. Then Trunks turned to his mother.

"She loved you," Bulma told her son. "She loved you with all her heart. That's why she fought. She fought for you."

Trunks hugged his mother snuggly. "She still does," he whispered.

---

It had been six months since that day. Capsule Corp Mansion was rebuilt, and most of the city was nearly rebuilt. Leon and Bulma had headed relief efforts all over the city. But every passing day had made it more and more difficult for Trunks to bear Shell's death. After the funeral, Trunks had returned to the Kai World with Shin.

"You should take it with you," Shin had suggested, offering the Z Sword as a gift to Trunks. "Besides, no one here can lift it anyway. Moreover, it was simply amazing that you managed to use the teleport technique the moment Shell died to get back to Earth on your own. Truly remarkable!"

Trunks had frowned in response to the Kai's enthusiasm. He neglected to take it, and left it in an altar inside the Kai Temple as a relic and reminder of the history behind Majin Buu.

"Did you know," he had asked the Supreme Kai. "Did you know that she would die in the end?"

"No," had been Shin's reply.

"And if you had would you have told me?" Trunks had asked again.

Shin never answered that question.

Trunks wondered even now six months later whether the Kai had really known all along or not. While in the Kai Temple, Trunks had the opportunity to see Gohan briefly one last time as well. Gohan had offered his condolences for his brother's loss.

"I lost you because I wasn't strong enough," Trunks had told Gohan. "And now I lost her because I wasn't fast enough. It wasn't fair to either of you."

"It was my time," Gohan had comforted him. "Just as it was hers. There is nothing you could have done about that. Accepting it is the only way you will find peace, my friend."

Gohan's words still echoed in his mind and heart as if it had only been yesterday that they were spoken. After he had returned from the Kai Planet, Trunks began working on the prototype of the time machine again. For months he had gone without rest, working diligently to perfect its flaws so that he might have some hope of returning to the past and saving Shell. But attempt after attempt failed. All his calculations brought him to the same conclusion: failure. It had only been one month ago that he had given up on the time machine. Perhaps that was what had made the last month so hard for him. Without an attempt to occupy his mind, Trunks had made a lifestyle out of misery. Finally, he had continued to the point of making himself sick. After a few days of care and a stern lecture from his mother, he had made a recovery, but not fully.

Gohan was right. He would be the only one that could mend his scar, but he feared he would never be able to find a way to do so. Every night, Trunks relived the nightmare of Shell's death in his sleep. Every night he would find himself awakening to the golden glow of his aura resonating throughout the room. Her death was so hard for him to cope with, it became a part of his everyday life. He had spent so much time working to find a way to change the past, his own life had come to a halt. He sat on his bed in his room, his hair hadn't been this long since he had emerged from the hyperbolic time chamber in the alternate past.

"Hey, Trunks," Leon said from the doorway. "How's it going?"

Trunks looked up at his friend, but remained silent.

"The rest of us were going down to the beach this afternoon, I was gonna find out if you wanted to come with us," Leon invited.

"Not really in the mood," Trunks said softly, lowering his head.

Leon frowned, hesitating for a moment. "You know, Trunks, you can't keep yourself locked away up here forever. Blaming yourself won't bring Shell back."

"Blaming Majin Buu won't bring her back either," Trunks replied without looking up.

"No," Leon agreed reluctantly, "No it won't. I've told you at least a million times now about how brave she was that day, you know? I knew we were going to our deaths, but she was determined to buy you the time you needed, man. She made that choice. She made the choice to fight for you. To die for you. Maybe it's time you made a choice."

Trunks looked up at his friend. "What choice do I have left, Leon?"

"Maybe you should try living for her," he answered. "I don't think Shell made the sacrifice she did so that you could continue on like this. She loved you, man, and she wanted you to be happy. Maybe you should make the choice to do that for her now."

Trunks sat silently for a moment, contemplating everything Leon had told him. After a moment, he replied sadly, "Leon, you guys have fun at the beach."

Leon frowned, then left Trunks' room.

Trunks looked around his room, what was once a well organized, clean room was in turmoil. Books and research notes lay scattered across the floor. He had worked so hard to try to find a way to save the woman he loved. It had become an obsession. Maybe he did need a break to try to reorganize his thoughts. He could hear the skycar leaving the driveway. He stood and walked to the window. It was mid day, the sky was clear, and it looked warm and inviting outside. He began to give the beach a second thought. He certainly didn't plan on swimming, so there was no need to change from his jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. And the fresh air might help him feel a little better. He hesitated, but then opened his window and flew out towards the beach.

Once there, he found his mother and Leon and the friends they had made in the relief effort. Leon had even found the attraction of a young blonde companion. Trunks hadn't taken the time to get to know any of them so he didn't even really know their names. But, nonetheless, they spent their time splashing around in the ocean. Trunks took the time to sit on the sandy, white beach and think to himself. The ocean breeze was soothing; the hot sun was coolly offset by the breeze coming in from the waves, which made it a completely wonderful environment to relax in. Which is exactly what Trunks found there. He breathed the ocean smell in deeply, exhaling slowly. He lay back in his beach chair letting his body fully rest, and his mind flow far from his troubles. It felt good.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever come out here," a familiar voice said laughingly.

Trunks' eyes snapped open, and he immediately sat up in the beach chair looking around at the empty beach. No one was in the water, the beach was deserted, and the very landscape suddenly had a bright, white glow. The waves were much quieter than before. They made the faint echo of the crash they had made moments before. Everything was quiet now, and the wind was soft and silent, yet the air was still cool.

"It's good to see you again, sweetheart," a small white figure said walking up out of the water.

"I-it can't be," Trunks stuttered in disbelief.

"Well, it is," Shell said with a light laugh.

Trunks' eyes watered immediately. He stood from his chair, still staring in disbelief. The angelic figure of Shell waded up out of the water and onto the snowy sands in front of Trunks. The wind blew lightly around her dark hair. Her blue eyes pierced into Trunks' very soul. She wore a white robe-like dress that split up the side, but glided over the ground softly.

"What is it, silly?" she said with a smile.

"I was right," Trunks answered softly. "You really are an angel."

"You're still sweet, as always, Trunks," she said as she walked up to him. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Trunks replied excitedly.

She laughed softly again at him as she put her hand on his cheek. "I've always loved the ocean," she told him. "I'm sorry we didn't get the opportunity to spend a day on it."

"I'm sorry, Shell," he apologized. "I wish I had–."

"Shh," she hushed, putting her finger over his lips. "I didn't come all this way for you to be sad to see me. I love you, Trunks." As she said it, she pulled his face down to hers. She kissed him, slowly and softly. "I promise that I'll always be with you," she said to him. "And I told Mom and Dad about you. They were really pleased. I think they would even be cool with us getting married one day, what do you think?"

Trunks smiled. "I think nothing would make me happier," he replied.

"Then don't be so unhappy all the time, Trunks," she told him.

"But it's so hard without you," Trunks reasoned. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, sweetheart," she agreed. "But we have to be strong. There are rumors in Otherworld that Earth is headed into a time of darkness. If that's true, honey, then you'll be its only chance."

"I'm tired of fighting," Trunks replied. "I want to be with you."

"You should know by now that nothing is certain," Shell comforted. "Who knows? We may still have another chance to be together."

"You think so?" Trunks asked.

"I know so…" she answered with a smile.

"I'll find a way, Shell," Trunks declared confidently.

"I know you will," she agreed. "Just always remember that I'll be with you, no matter what."

Trunks nodded, and pulled her close, kissing her passionately. Shell's arms wrapped around his head and neck as she kissed back.

"Never give up…" her voice resonated in Trunks' ears.

His eyes snapped open, and he found himself back on the beach, lying in the beach chair. He looked around and everything was back to the way it was. His mother and Leon and their friends were still in the water, and the crashing waves were back to their audible state. He sat up and shook his head. He must have been dreaming. He heard the sound of something falling into the chair. Some small object had fallen off of his stomach as he sat up. He reached down and picked up a shiny, white seashell. It was about the size of his palm, with dark colored edges. He smiled as he held it. He could feel the warmth and glimmer of Shell's smile in it. It was the first time he had smiled in six months.

"Trunks," Bulma said as she neared him, "are you okay?"

His mother and the others had finished swimming and came back to where he was on the beach. He sat for a moment staring at the seashell in his hand.

"You know, Mom," Trunks answered slowly. "I think I am okay, now."

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that," she replied. "Why don't we head back to the house for some lunch?"

"That sounds great, Mom," Trunks said softly.

"See," Leon chimed, glad that he could see a change in Trunks' attitude, "I told you the fresh air and ocean breeze would do you some good."

"You have no idea," Trunks said with a smile as he got to his feet, shell in hand, and helped them load the skycar.

---

Back at the mansion, Trunks decided to clean his room up a bit while lunch was being made. He rummaged through the research notes and books, trying desperately to get them semi organized. As he moved each object around and uncovered more and more of the floor, suddenly his foot hit something different on the floor. It was his journal. The last entry he had put in it was about the day he met Shell. He looked around. The room had begun to look decent, and he still had time before lunch would be ready. He took his journal over to his desk and opened it to the next available page.

"Hello there, Journal. Sorry it has been so long since my last entry. You wouldn't believe how much has happened since then. In six months, I managed to fall in love, make a new best friend, triple my strength, save the world, and lose the one I love. Pretty bad, huh? But I guess I could say I at least took something with me from all this. I guess Shell was right, you know. Everything happens for a reason. No matter how bad things get they will always get better. And we always have a choice; the choice to make our own destinies, whatever they may be. Oh yeah, and we should never give up, no matter the odds. It wasn't a great warrior, or a legendary hero that taught me all this. It was a girl. A girl who knew what to believe in. Looking back on all this, I really feel like I wasn't the one who saved the day this time. It was her. She believed in me, and she believed in what was right to stand for. She was the reason we won the fight with the monster, Majin Buu. Her heart was what gave us strength, and her mind was what taught us right. It wasn't a sword that showed me that. It was the woman I love. I don't know where my road goes from here. I guess none of us really know what to do next. But I do know that the only thing that really matters is that I always take what she showed me with me. I promise that the next time I write won't be six months from now, Journal, it will be sooner. And I'm sorry to cut this short, but I needed to tell someone this, and lunch is almost ready. Goodbye for now, Journal."

"Trunks!" Bulma's voice blurted over the intercom system. "Lunch is ready, dear."

Trunks smiled, pleased with his boosted intuition from training with the Z Sword. "Thanks, Mom," he replied into the intercom. "I'll be right down."

He stood up and headed for the door but was stopped short by the familiar smell of an ocean breeze blowing through his open window. He turned and looked back towards the desk he had sat at. The breeze blew the journal pages backwards to a previous entry. Trunks' smile faded as he walked slowly back to the open journal. He looked down at the table to see that he had forgotten his shell. He picked it up and began to turn, but he felt it become warm in his hand. He stopped, looked at the shell, which displayed no noticeable difference than it had when he first picked it up, and then he looked back at the journal. The entry was concerning his fight with Cell in the alternate past. He skimmed the entry. The words that jumped out to him read:

"…I don't remember much after Cell reappeared, but I woke up at Kami's lookout. Gohan told me that they had used the Dragon Balls to revive me…"

Trunks stood silent for a moment, the shell still warm in his hand. After he thought about what the entry segment read, he stuffed the shell into his pocket and turned to exit his room. We walked down the hall and to the elevator. He got in and pushed the button for the ground level. He could hear Shell's voice in his head talking.

"I know, Shell," he said aloud. "I'm coming."

When the elevator doors opened, he eagerly walked to the patio to enjoy the afternoon barbeque with his family and friends. He thoroughly enjoyed the meal, especially since he knew that he would need the strength from it for the rest of his adventure.


End file.
